bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ENGLISH METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT SINCE ABOLITION: AN EVALUATION OF THE ABOLITION OF THE ENGLISH METROPOLITAN COUNTY COUNCILS
Authors: LEACH STEVE , GAME CHRIS
Published: April 2007

The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the Greater London Council (GLC) and the six English metropolitan county councils (MCCS); but it did not abolish the services for which they were responsible. It transferred them: some directly to the lower‐tier borough or district councils, others to a variety of joint boards, joint committees, residuary bodies, and special purpose agencies. As a result, there are, in at least some of the former MCC areas, many services still operated wholly or partially on a county‐wide basis. The first part of this article compares the contrasting approaches adopted in the six metropolitan areas to the retention or re‐creation of county‐wide services after abolition. The second part attempts to explain these contrasting approaches: why, for instance, significantly more county‐wide institutional arrangements were voluntarily negotiated by the districts in West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester than by those in South Yorkshire and Merseyside.
FROM POLICY COMMUNITY TO ISSUE NETWORK: SALMONELLA IN EGGS AND THE NEW POLITICS OF FOOD
Authors: SMITH MARTIN J.
Published: April 2007

In the last two years the issue of food has been subject to increasing political controversy with firstly salmonella in eggs and later listeria and BSE becoming the focus of conflict and widespread media attention. This is an important change. In most of the post‐war period food policy was conducted within a relatively closed policy community where issues concerning food policy were largely treated as routine technical decisions. The significance of the salmonella in eggs affair is that it is indicative of wider changes in the making of food policy. The increased activity of interest groups, the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy and changes in the retail economy have combined to transform the food policy community into an issue network.
POLICY DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE UNITED KINGDOM: THE CASE OF HOUSING POLICY IN NORTHERN IRELAND 1979–89
Authors: CONNOLLY MICHAEL , KNOX COLIN
Published: April 2007

This article examines, through a case study of housing, the extent to which national housing policies under the Thatcher government were modified or deflected at the N. Ireland regional level. Three aspects of housing policy ‐ housing expenditure, public sector rents and the ‘right‐to‐buy’ legislation are considered and the roles of key actors within the territorial community described. Although similarities with GB housing policy emerge, there is evidence of a distinctive regional approach. Factors which influenced a N. Ireland‐specific policy approach are considered and the potential for variance in the future outlined.
THE COMPUTERIZATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY: THE WAY FORWARD OR A STEP BACKWARDS?
Authors: MARGETTS HELEN
Published: April 2007

The Department of Social Security is one of the largest government departments, consuming 30 percent of public spending and employing around 10 per cent of central government StJ. Before 1980 there were no computers in its local administrative centres. The Operational Strategy was a plan to change this, involving the construction of largescale computer systems and the installation of 40,000 terminals in 1,000 local offices and unemployment offices. It is the largest programme of computerization ever undertaken in Europe. Full national coverage is expected in 1991. But the project has been plagued with problems: costs have soared from £700m. to £2, CCXh‐n. and rising, planned savings have fallen, expected benefits seem unlikely to be achieved and implementation errors have caught the public eye. What caused these problems and are they as serious as reports in the press might lead the public to believe? Computerization has the potential to make possible many far reaching changes to administrative functions and working practices. It is important to study the decisional implications of these changes before the computers themselves become embedded in the structure of the organization.
THE NEW SYSTEM OF LOCAL TAXATION IN SCOTLAND: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
Authors: MIDWINTER ARTHUR , MONAGHAN CLAIRE
Published: April 2007

This article examines the new system of Scottish local government finance in theory and practice. It argues that reform is based on an economic theory of local fiscal behaviour, and examines the empirical evidence regarding the application of marginal cost pricing principles through the linking of marginal spending to taxation. The research reveals that the application of such principles in practice will be difficult, as only a few services offer direct benefits to all individuals, and as yet the technical precision needed in assessing needs for grant distribution has not materialized. There is little evidence of any impact of financial reform on local expenditure, as a number of intervening variables and assumptions can skew the accountability process.
THE FULTON COMMITTEE'S MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY GROUP: AN ASSESSMENT OF ITS CONTRIBUTION
Authors: FRY GEOFFREY K.
Published: April 2007

Early access to the papers of the Fulton committee of 1966–8 and to the still unpublished oral evidence that the committee received, which has been Officially granted to the author, enables the contribution of its Management Consultancy Group to be studied fully for the first time, that study being complemented by interviews with the surviving members of the committee, its secretariat, and of the group. The article argues that the group was innovative in that, by means of its report, and through such impact as it had upon the Fulton committee and its report, it put the adoption of the bat private sector management practice into a prominent place on the Fabian socialist agenda for civil service reform and, hence, added an extra dimension to the Fabians' traditional concern about greater efficiency.
PRIVATIZATION UNDER MRS. THATCHER: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Authors: MARSH DAVID
Published: April 2007

Public Administrationnot only publishes original articles but it also seeks to provide material which will be useful to teachers and students alike. In order to strengthen this facet of the journal, the editors are introducing an occasional series of articles which will review the current state of the literature in the various sub‐fields within the subject of Public Administration. This contribution by David Marsh reviews the ‘state of the art’ on privatization in Britain. The objective is to draw together the extensive literature in a systematic fashion by identifying key texts and the main research findings. His review examines the origins of privatization, the several meanings of this term, the objectives of government policy, and assesses the extent to which objectives have been realized. He also draws attention to lacunae in the literature and important areas requiring further research.

The editors would welcome suggestions for future articles in this series. Any prospective author should contact the editors to discuss the proposed topic and, where feasible, we will provide assistance by obtaining books for review.
SWORDS INTO PLOUGHSHARES: CECIL GORDON'S ROLE IN THE POST‐WAR TRANSITION OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH TO CIVILIAN USES
Authors: ROSENHEAD JONATHAN
Published: April 2007

Operational research, having developed in Britain as a contribution by scientists and the scientific approach to Second World War military planning, became a significant element in the process of post‐war reconstruction. Cecil Gordon, a leading wartime operational researcher, headed the principal civilian government OR unit at the Board of Trade. He was also a key member of the Working Party of the Committee on Industrial Productivity, which attempted to promote the wider adoption of operational research. These enterprises were consistent with his socialist commitment, in many ways typical of a generation of Left scientists and of many pioneers of operational research. The article describes and analyses the defeat of these initiatives, and the virtual ejection of OR from government by 1950. In the immediate post‐war period, operational research attempted to develop operational methods for a rational alternative to economic coordination via market forces. Some lessons are drawn from the deflection of this radical thrust of OR, in the light of both contemporary factors and subsequent experience.
QUALITY AND PUBLIC SERVICES
Authors: WALSH KIERON
Published: April 2007

The issue of quality of service is becoming increasingly important in the public service as a result of new approaches that are being adopted to management, notably the development of contract‐based management. The argument of this article is that the concept of quality is a particularly difficult one for the public services, because of problems of information asymmetries. The first sections of the article are concerned with the meaning of the concept of quality and the problems of managing quality in the service sector and the public service in particular. The central argument of the article is that there are important problems of information asymmetries between service providers and service consumers. Four different situations of differential information availability are distinguished. The article argues that the issue of quality in the public service is an inherently political one.
FROM PROVIDING TO ENABLING: LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE MIXED ECONOMY OF SOCIAL CARE
Authors: WISTOW G. , KNAPP M. , HARDY B. , ALLEN C.
Published: April 2007

Government policy seeks to introduce competition into the supply of social care through the separation of purchasing and providing responsibilities. A study of 24 local authority social service departments has explored the initial steps taken to prepare for the new enabling role, including the creation of a mixed economy of care. Very few were seeking to create a market in social care. Most argued that the inherent nature of social care rendered the introduction of service specifications and price mechanisms neither approriate nor feasible. Many authorities interpreted the enabling role in ways significantly different from that of the government. The study raises questions about the extent of local discretion in a context where the range of values and interests of implementing agencies may differ from those of the centre.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE BEFORE THE NHS
Authors: POWELL MARTIN
Published: April 2007

This article critically examines the state of knowledge with respect to the geographical provision of health care before the national health Service (MIS). Most accounts claim that health care was geographically unequal and/or inequitable. On closer examination, however, the claims of these studies appear roblematic. This is due to problems of the sources of data, intretation of the data, anz one writefs assertion becoming a subsequent writer's ‘fact’. The xarges of inequality and inequity are critically examined. Then, for the hospital services, the situation is explored using data from a well respected but underutilized national wartime survey. Finally, an attempt is made to comare the degree of geographical inequality before the NHS with that of today. It is conclugd that the degree of inequality before the NHS is not as great as some conventional wisdom would suggest. Therefore, if the charges against the pre‐NHs system are to stand, more evidence will be needed.
THE DYNAMICS OF POLICY CHANGE: WBBYING AND WATER PRIVATIZATION
Authors: RICHARDSON JEREMY J. , MALONEY WILLIAM A. , RÜDIG WOLFGANG
Published: April 2007

The privatization of the water industry was one of the most controversial and turbulent privatizations of the 1980s. The government undertook the project somewhat reluctantly, then the first plans had to be withdrawn, but eventually, the privatization of the industry was successfully completed in 1989. In this article, we first set out to provide a thorough account of the process of privatizing water, based on primary sources and exhaustive interviews. In doing so, we identity some major problems of established theories of British policy making: the process of water privatization clearly does not conform to any single model of policy making. Instead, individual ‘episodes’ of the policy process conform to different models. Arguing that existing theories of British policy making may have focused too narrowly on routine decision‐making processes, we propose that a theory of the transformation of policy communities is required to understand the dynamics of radical policy change in Britain.
PUBLIC ACCIDENT INQUIRIES: THE CASE OF THE RAILWAY INSPECTORATE
Authors: HUTTER BRIDGET M.
Published: April 2007

For over a century the public investigation of railway accidents has been an important part of the Railway Inspectorate's regulatory activity. This article examines the circumstances and conduct of these inquiries, paying particular attention to their purpose and how this is influenced by wider social and political concerns. It also traces the Inspectorate's efforts to maintain the inquisitorial rather than accusatorial style of these inquiries and discusses their possible demise as a result of a growing tendency towards a legalistic approach to accident investigation.
PLANNING AND CONTROLLING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE IN THE UK, PART II: THE EFFECTS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SURVEY
Authors: THAIN COLIN , WRIGHT MAURICE
Published: April 2007

Part I of this article [spring 19921 examined and explained the processes by which the Treasury plans and controls public expenditure through the Public Expenditure Survey. This second part analyses the survey's effects and effectiveness. Throughout we assess the survey by the extent to which the principal functions of planning, allocating, controlling and evaluating public expenditure are articulated and performed. We use four sets of criteria. Firstly, the survey is assessed as a means of regulating the interdependent relationships of the principal participants. Secondly, as a system for making decisions about public expenditure, the survey is judged by the extent to which it has enabled governments to achieve their broad spending objectives. Thirdly, the survey is assessed b the extent to which it provides directly for the participation of ministers collectively in tie process of decision‐making, and how they decide the relative priority of both the total of public expenditure and its composition. And fourthly, its effects are measured by analysing the outputs of the system ‐ the allocation of spending to departments and agencies. In the concluding section we address directly the question of whose interests are best served by the survey.
RECONCILING TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OBJECTIVES: THE WAY AHEAD AT THE END OF THE ROAD
Authors: HILLMAN MAYER
Published: April 2007

Transport is a major sector of the UK economy. The significant place it holds reflects the fact that cars are generally seen as the most attractive means of travelling comfortably, quickly, privately and safely; that lorries enable the speedy transfer of goods on a door‐to‐door basis and with the minimum of double handling; and that air travel is an obvious way of saving time over long distances. Indeed, car use has been described as a barometer of personal independence and living standards, road freight as vital to the economic functioning of business, and air travel as an essential component of international communications.

However, a wide range of conflicts can be identified in the process of enabling the demand for fossil fuel‐based transport ‐ road, rail and air ‐ to continue increasing whilst at the same time improving environmental quality. Accordingly, in the last two decades, successive governments have been attempting to strike the right balance between a strategy of investment to meet that demand and a strategy on minimizing the wide‐ranging adverse consequences of doing so.
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF REGULATION: INTERESTS, IDEOLOGY, VOTERS, AND THE UK REGULATION OF RAILWAYS ACT 1844
Authors: MCLEAN IAIN , FOSTER CHRISTOPHER
Published: April 2007

Government regulation of the railways in the United Kingdom dates back to the 1840s. Between 1840 and 1844 three regulatory Acts were passed, and a system of government inspection set up which has remained substantially unaltered to the present day. The principal Act, that of 1844, contained controversial powers of rate‐capping, state purchase of railways, and detailed price and quantity regulation. It is still frequently held that the Victorian era marked the triumph of laissez‐faire and that W. E. Gladstone, the promoter of the 1844 Act, was one of its leading spokesmen. The article therefore explores why regulation occurred at all and why it took the forms it did. Gladstone's actions are evaluated in relation to the standard hypotheses about the origins of regulation. Hypotheses on the motives of MPS voting for and against regulation are tested using the Aydelotte dataset which contains very full personal and ideological data on the Mps of the Parliament of 1841–7.
THEORIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION: AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION
Authors: BRANS MARLEEN
Published: April 2007

Local government reorganization has been widespread throughout Europe in the postwar era. Three broad types of theory have set out to explain this phenomenon in a cross‐national context; a welfare state perspective, a functional revolution perspective and a political perspective. The validity of these theories is assessed in the specific context of Belgium. The evidence suggests that none of the prevailing theories can make much headway in explaining the timing and form of reorganization. More promising explanations are to be found through examining broader values, and beliefs and more specific political constellations. The claim or implication that the major local government reorganizations of the postwar era were, in the different countries that experienced it, independent events produced by a common pattern of domestic social, economic or political development has the trappings of scientific theory without its true substance – the ability to explain.
THE PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN AFTER TWENTY‐FIVE YEARS
Authors: GREGORY ROY , PEARSON JANE
Published: April 2007

Twenty‐five years after it was established in 1967 the Parliamentary Commissioner scheme is now criticized not so much on the grounds that it lacks teeth; the problem rather is that the system could be used with advantage a good deal more extensively than it is. The parliamentary Ombudsman has been under‐used largely because it has generated only bounded enthusiasm among MPS, the ‘gatekeepers’ and potential ‘magnets’ for the office. Survey evidence suggests that MPS' attitudes are related mainly to their dissatisfaction with the limitations on the ombudsman's ‘spatial’ jurisdiction and the length of time taken by the office to investigate complaints. MPs' disapproval of these aspects of the scheme, however, may be symptomatic of a divergence between members' desire for ‘quick‐fix’ solutions to constituents' problems and the emphasis placed on the ‘audit role’ of the office by successive commisioners. Greater awareness of the functions of the office by both the general public and among MPS; an extension of the Commissioner's jurisdictional remit; a faster average ‘throughput’ time for investigations; and possibly the introduction of a two track procedure for inquiries are all arguably required if the full potential of the Parliamentary Commissioner scheme is to be realized.
CHANGE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES
Authors: STEWART JOHN , WALSH KIERON
Published: April 2007

This article identifies the main themes in recent changes in public sector management and shows the extent of the challenge to past organizational assumptions. While recognizing the objectives of the changes could bring benefits if realized, it argues that there are a series of issues that are unresolved. The language of consumerism, the development of government by contracts, the form of performance management and the use of quasi‐markets are seen as creating problems. These are seen as deriving from an attempt to apply approaches drawn from the private sector to the public domain. It is argued that they need to be balanced by approaches that recognize the values of the public sector.
THE LOGISTICS OF MINISTERIAL RESHUFFLES
Authors: ALDERMAN R. K. , CARTER NEIL
Published: April 2007

Ministerial reshuffles are complex exercises requiring careful handling. A frequent occurrence in British government, their significance is usually seen in political terms. Prime Ministers attach great importance to maximizing the political advantages to be gained from them. This factor is the chief determinant of their logistics, the principal characteristics of which are secrecy in advance and the speed with which ministerial changes are executed. These features ‐ as much as the frequency of ministerial changes per se ‐ may disrupt the policy process and have serious implications for minister‐civil servant power relations. Such problems could be alleviated by giving ministers advance notice of changes of post. The institution of a process of ministerial handovers would strengthen the position of incoming ministers by making them less dependent on their officials, upon whom they rely heavily for initial briefing at present.
REFORM OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN AUSTRALIA: THE POLITICS OF FEDERALISM AND THE NON‐POLITICS OF MANAGERIALISM
Authors: FLETCHER CHRISTINE , WALSH CLIFF
Published: April 2007

A remarkable process of reform of intergovernmental arrangements was initiated in Australia in 1990 designed, according to its proponents, ‘to improve our national efficiency and international competitiveness and to improve the delivery and quality of services governments provide’. Unlike previous ‘new federalisms’ in Australia (and elsewhere) the reform process on this occasion was neither totally unilateral, nor top‐down in design and implementation. Rather, while reflecting the commonwealth (federal) government's frustrations at the limits imposed by the federal system on its political power and administrative capacity, the process intentionally was cooperative, incorporating all state and temtory government leaders, and including representatives of local government. In the context of a review of the origins, nature and objectives of the reform initiative, this article points both to the valuable innovations embodied in its processes, and to the risks of reduced political access and citizen participation created by its attempts to apply ‘single‐government’ managerialist principles to the redesign of intergovernmental arrangements in federal systems. Political and bureaucratic objectives, combined with a lack of adequate appreciation of federal principles, led, in our view, to an attempt to supplant participatory politics with relatively less accessible and responsive managerial structures.
USER INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY CARE: ORIGINS, PURPOSES AND APPLICATIONS
Authors: WISTOW GERALD , BARNES MARIAN
Published: April 2007

Whilst the drive towards public sector consumerism is intensifying, it is also evident that somewhat different ‘brands’ of consumerism are currently being marketed. This article develops a framework to assist in the disaggregation and understanding of the range of approaches to consumerism currently being pursued in the field of health and social care. Its principal elements concern the ideological origins of consumerism in this field; their purposes; and the forms through which consumer preference are expressed. This framework is applied to the Birmingham Community Care Special Action Project, a major developmental initiative which the authors have been studying. An important area for further investigation is the extent to which users and carers seek to exercise greater collective control over services as opposed to influencing the development of services more responsive to their individual needs.
REGIONAL SERVICES COUNCILS IN SOUTH AFRICA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Authors: CAMERON ROBERT
Published: April 2007

This article traces the evolution of local government structures in South Africa, known as Regional Service Councils (RSCs), which were created in 1985. The first section traces the history of local government in the country and how apartheid led to separate structures for different racial groups. This is followed by an account of why the National Party (NP) created RSCs, which were neo‐apartheid structures, incorporating certain features of metropolitan government. The major features of Rscs are discussed and analysed. The operation of the Rscs around the country is assessed. The final section of the article looks at moves towards non‐racial local government structures in the light of broader political developments in the country. The future of RSCs as well as metropolitan government generally is discussed.
ON THE PERFORMANCE OF COMPETITIVELY TENDERED, PUBLIC SECTOR CLEANING CONTRACTS
Authors: DOMBERGER SIMON , HENSHER DAVID
Published: April 2007

Quantitative analysis of competitive tendering and contracting typically focuses on their effect on the cost of providing public sector services. In this article we turn to the systematic factors that appear to influence the performance of cleaning contracts. This is defined as compliance with contract specification, public perception of service quality and other qualitative measures of service characteristics as observed by the contracting authority. Our analysis attempts to isolate particular features of contract design, monitoring and enforcement that influence performance positively or negatively. Econometric results based on a sample of public sector cleaning contracts suggest that contractor selection procedures and contract enforcement mechanisms have the greatest influence on performance.
THE IDEA BROKERS: THE IMPACT OF THINK TANKS ON BRITISH GOVERNMENT
Authors: JAMES SIMON
Published: April 2007

Although there are few think tanks in Britain they have been credited with considerable influence on government policies since the late 1970s. This article charts their recent history, distinguishing between larger, ‘establishment’ bodies like the Policy Studies Institute and smaller, more politically partisan bodies such as the Centre for Policy Studies; generally the latter have enjoyed greater influence. It identifies the distinctive characteristics of these bodies–their ideological orientation, their concentration on élite opinion formers, their short to medium‐term horizons, their emphasis on originality and publicity. Think tanks face tactical dilemmas when pressing their views on Britain's comparatively closed system of government, in particular their choice between insider and outsider forms of persuasion; the tension between proximity to ministers and intellectual autonomy; and their advantages to politicians as deniable sources that can float new ideas, which can be counter‐balanced by politicians’ fluctuating appetite for radical ideas. As a case study the article examines the relations enjoyed by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Centre for Policy Studies with Mrs Thatcher's government, and particularly the evolution of a potent network of influence embracing ministers, special advisers and backbenchers. Finally it considers the dangers of an overemphasis on novelty at the expense of feasibility, and the danger of burnout in the smaller think tanks dangers mitigated by the continuous turnover that operates in the world of think tanks.
DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL: A CASE STUDY OF A HUNG COUNCIL
Authors: TEMPLE MICHAEL
Published: April 2007

Discussions on coalition politics have tended to see the phenomenon as a feature of European national systems offering a contrast to the British tradition of (largely) single‐party government. However, the 1980s saw the rise of English local governments where highly politicized party groups were forced to compromise their political programmes in order to attain a share of power; between 1985–89, half of the English county councils were hung. This situation has particular significance in Devon, where four distinct political groups were negotiating for control. This study analyses the process of administrative formation, maintenance and breakdown in Devon, using the insights of the actors involved. While icy closeness is a crucial factor in the formation of administrations, the initial distribution of office portfolios plays a critical role in the later demise of the co‐operation between the Alliance and Labour. The study also highlights the importance of considerations such as past history, personal relations, institutional structures, and even geography to the formation and maintenance of political agreements. Devon's experience of hungness is interpreted using a ‘multi‐method’ approach, with reference to both studies of hung councils and developments in coalition theory.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PURCHASING PROCESS IN THE NHS: TOWARDS AN EXPLICIT POLITICS OF RATIONING?
Authors: FREEMANTLE NICK , WATT IAN , MASON JAMES
Published: April 2007

The introduction of the internal market to the National Health Service in Britain marks a major change in the form of provision of health care interventions. This article reports the findings of independent research into the development of the purchasing process in eight purchasing authorities (which collectively purchase health care for 5 per cent of the population of Britain), and considers the extent to which this has led to an explicit politics of rationing in British health care. The structure and organization of purchasing organizations is described, along with their relationship with providers of health care. The ability of purchasing organizations to assess the health needs of the populations for which they purchase health care services, and their ability to influence change in the nature of the services provided, is also examined.
DEVELOPING AND UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL CHANGE IN HM CUSTOMS AND EXCISE: THERE IS MORE TO DANCING THAN KNOWING THE NEXT STEPS
Authors: COLVILLE IAN , DALTON KEVIN , TOMKINS CYRIL
Published: April 2007

Increasingly, what was formerly known as public administration is turning itself into management, while management itself is fast becoming synonymous with the management of change. These two directions meet in government calls to change the culture of the civil service, and are to be found most clearly in the Financial Management Initiative (1982), and its successor, the Next Steps (1988). While each stresses a different aspect, the core policy idea which runs through them is one of improving performance by delegating power and responsibility down the hierarchy closer to the point of delivery. In this way the bureaucratic giants which comprise the various central government departments are transformed into more adroit organizations, to the extent that it becomes appropriate to talk of giants learning to dance (Kanter 1989). This article, through a discussion of ‘experiments in change’ conducted in one of the largest central government giants, HM Customs and Excise, argues that teaching giants to learn to dance is easier said than done. The main focus of the article is on what giants may need to learn in order that they can become more attuned to change and it concludes with the proposition that change in central government cannot be understood or be properly managed without an appreciation of the changing context of change itself.
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND THE POLICY PROCESS
Authors: SMITH MARTIN J. , MARSH DAVID , RICHARDS DAVID
Published: April 2007

Government departments are central organizations in the development of public policy. Yet there is very little literature on the political role of departments, their internal relationships and their relationships with other departments and other government actors and institutions. This article reviews the extant literature on government departments. It argues that much of the existing research has either focused on the role of the Prime Minister or it has been institutional and static, providing an analysis of the administration and organization of departments rather than political interactions. The article therefore provides an alternative research agenda which stresses the need to examine the relationships and networks that exist within and between departments and how departments react to events and interests in the outside world.
RIVAL EXPLANATIONS OF PUBLIC OWNERSHIP, ITS FAILURE AND PRIVATIZATION
Authors: FOSTER CHRISTOPHER
Published: April 2007

This article contrasts three types of explanation of three events – the initial nationalization of many British industries, mainly in the 1940s, the failure of most nationalized industries to be economically successful by the 1970s and the privatization of most of them in the 1980s and 1990s. Its first section summarizes briefly an ordinary historical account of each event as developed elsewhere at greater length (in Foster 1992). The second section considers Chicagoan and Virginian explanations of the same events; and whether they are consistent with the other historical explanations. It concludes that Chicagoan theories do not explain any of these episodes plausibly, except possible rail nationalization, but in that case it worked in any sense only over an implausibly long period. Virginian type explanations have greater power in explaining both nationalization and its so‐called‘failure’thereafter. It is more difficult to explain privatization satisfactorily in Virginian terms.
CHARACTERIZING AGRICULTURAL POLICY‐MAKING
Authors: JORDAN GRANT , MALONEY WILLIAM A. , McLAUGHLIN ANDREW M.
Published: April 2007

This article examines the contemporary agricultural policy‐making environment in Britain and suggests that the growing complexity of interest articulation and policy making has eroded NFU dominance as a peak association. We would suggest that it is this clientelistic attitude to agriculture rather than a specific relationship withoneinterest group (however influential) that shapes the agricultural agenda. This article rejects a version of events which sees policy outputs as being the result ofexclusiveMAFF/NFU interactions as exaggerating policy‐making closure, and the exclusion of environmental and otherexternality interests.It portrays the policy sector as fragmented and competitive, with a wide cast list ofpressure participantsall vying for policy influence. It identifiesflexiblepolicy communities operating at the sub‐sectoral level, and within such arrangements the NFU often has to defer to thespecialistornicheexpertise of single commodity groups or agricultural processing companies.
AUDIT OR EVALUATION? A NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE VFM STUDY
Authors: ROBERTS SIMON , POLLITT CHRISTOPHER
Published: April 2007

This article presents a case study of an important but relatively neglected aspect of the British policy process ‐ the Value for Money (VIM) studies undertaken by the National Audit Office. It analyses in detail the conduct of one particular study, including the reactions of the audited bodies and the parliamentary activity which followed the publication of the NAO report. The case is then used to illuminate what appear to be some more general characteristics of the NAO's approach. It is concluded that NAO VFM work marks an important step beyond traditional audit for regularity and/or economy, and that it significantly enhances democratic accountability. Yet at the same time this work falls short of a full‐blooded evaluation. Indeed, it appears to take place within quite prominent constraints, some of which were built into the legislation setting up the NAO but others of which could conceivably be eased, even without new statutory authority.
INTRODUCTION: EXPLOITING IT IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ‐ TOWARDS THE INFORMATION POLITY?
Authors: BELLAMY CHRISTINE , TAYLOR JOHN A.
Published: April 2007

This introduction to the theme issue onTowards the Information Polity? Public Administration in the information agepresents the case for the systematic academic investigation of the changing relationships which characterize the ‘information polity’. This perspective on the information polity focuses on the significance of new kinds of informational resources and flows in government, and their interaction with broad directions of reform in contemporary public administration, including the new public management. It is argued that, whereas the literature of business strategy has emphasized the economic logic by which ‘informatization’ encourages organizational transformation, the articles in this issue demonstrate the importance of wider cultural, organizational and political factors to understanding processes of informatization and the changing nature of the emergent ‘information polity’.
MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN UK PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS
Authors: WILLCOCKS LESLIE
Published: April 2007

The record on the development and use of information‐based technologies in UK public administration is reviewed and distinctive risks identified. Risk levels associated with computerization may be increasing rather than abating as a result of both the content of New Public Management initiatives, and also how they are being introduced and applied. This article considers ways forward from the point of view of improving how informatization can proceed, and also how markets can be used to provide information‐based services for public administration.
SHOULD THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE HAVE AN INFORMATION STRATEGY?
Authors: KEEN JUSTIN
Published: April 2007

The National Health Service (NHS) Review committed the NHS to the development of sophisticated information management processes and to the creation of a massive information technology infrastructure, and the success of the new arrangements depends critically upon progress in these two areas. Yet the NHS has a modest track record in both, which the period since the review has served only to highlight. The article examines the political environment in which information is exchanged and technology implemented, in order to explain the current state of play and the likely pace and direction of future developments. In particular it focuses upon the role of the NHS Management Executive in influencing these developments, and argues that success will depend on the extent to which national information policies encourage collaboration between key groups of managers and professionals and support the implementation of contracts for health services.
CAN GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS BE INFLEXIBLE TECHNOLOGY? THE OPERATIONAL STRATEGY REVISITED
Authors: COLLINGRIDGE DAVID , MARGETTS HELEN
Published: April 2007

Recent failures of government information systems to achieve their objectives have highlighted the risk involved in large‐scale information technology projects. This article looks at one example, the computerization of the UK social security system, in the light of recent discussions of large‐scale technologies and the particular problem of inflexible technologies as defined by Collingridge. It is argued that large‐scale government computing projects can fit the criteria of inflexible technologies, although this is not an inherent feature of information technology. There are always more flexible alternatives available: this is illustrated using examples from both private and public organizations.
OPEN SYSTEMS AND CLOSED NETWORKS: POLICY NETWORKS AND THE EMERGENCE OF OPEN SYSTEMS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Authors: PRATCHETT LAWRENCE
Published: April 2007

New information and communications technologies (ICTS) continue to consume an increasing proportion of local government expenditure. Contemporary explanations of why and how these technologies are introduced into organizations, however, are limited to accounts of strategic decisions taken by individual organizations. This article offers a new understanding of why and how ICTS are introduced into organizations by developing the emergent concept of policy networks to analyse the adoption of open systems in local government. In developing this analysis, the article advances the policy networks concept by arguing for a range of sectoral sub‐networks which have emerged around the broader ICT network. Following from this, it identifies the principal actors in the local government ICT network, and their relationships. Finally, it presents a case study of the network in action, in the form of an analysis of the adoption of open systems technology in one metropolitan borough council.
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT ‐ A VIEW FROM THE CENTRE
Authors: MUID COLIN
Published: April 2007

The combination of new public management reforms and ‘informatization’ is presenting opportunities for the re‐engineering of government business activities. Awareness and debate about the implications of this are limited however. Structural reforms to public services need to take account of the notion of information stewardship, and an essential competence of public officials is to manage and use information held in trust. Public service reforms which lead both to fragmentation and to the contract culture have implications for information systems development and implementation. Whilst new technology can be used to alter radically the administrative and service delivery systems of government, technical possibilities must be set alongside issues such as the privacy of the individual and the protection of public interest. The article also discusses the role of the Office of Public Services and Science, and HM Treasury, in stimulating appropriate strategies to cope with these dilemmas.
GOVERNMENT LEGITIMACY AND THE LABOUR MARKET: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
Authors: KING DESMOND , ROTHSTEIN BO
Published: April 2007

This article addresses the recent claim that cross‐national policy variations reflect in part differences in institutional origins and state characteristics. It provides a detailed analysis of how states institutionalized public employment exchanges. The authors argue that public employment exchanges will shape the legitimacy of government intervention in the labour market, and thus affect the environment for subsequent labour market policy. Two measures of legitimacy are used. First, the attitude of employers and trades unionists toward exchanges. Second, the role of exchanges in administering unemployment benefits. Cross‐national differences in exchanges’ legitimacy contribute to an explanation of why different states have different labour market policies.
NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR ‐ THE GERMAN EXPERIENCE
Authors: HOFFMANN‐RIEM WOLFGANG , LAMB IRENE
Published: April 2007

The article argues that one should look not only at attempts to reduce governmental regulation via privatization and deregulation, but also to pay attention to new modes of dispute‐resolution in highly complex and controversial issues. Following an alleged ‘crisis of regulatory policy’, the authors discuss ways and means of negotiation and mediation in the public sector. Based on American approaches, the German experience is at the forefront of their interest. The systematic and at the same time empirically oriented analysis looks at ‘alternative’ ways to regulate through cooperative behaviour, evaluates attempts at unassisted and assisted negotiations as a means of conflict resolution, and sheds light on the necessary framework for the use of mediation policies and techniques. A careful optimism on the use of negotiation and mediation in public sector disputes prevails.
THE CORE EXECUTIVE AND THE RESIGNATION OF MRS THATCHER
Authors: SMITH MARTIN J.
Published: April 2007

Margaret Thatcher was seen as one of the most dominant post‐war Prime Ministers and yet she was forced to resign in November 1990. Most extant explanations of her fall concentrate on relatively short‐term factors such as the resignation of Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Community Charge and issues surrounding the European Community. This article argues that these accounts fail to explain Mrs Thatcher's fall because they do not place her resignation within the context of prime ministerial power. The article suggests that traditional notions of prime ministerial power are flawed because they are essentiallystatic and over‐simplistic. The article develops an alternative model of prime ministerial power based on the notion of power dependence. The model is then used to demonstrate that Mrs Thatcher's fall was due to her failure to recognize her dependence on cabinet colleagues.
CHARGING FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES: A COHERENT PHILOSOPHY
Authors: BAILEY STEPHEN JAMES
Published: April 2007

This article reviews and critically appraises the alternative rationales and methodologies for local authority charging practice which have been proposed in the past. It goes on to advocate a charging rationale based on customized value‐added services. This is argued to be a coherent charging philosophy which can realistically fit into the evolving policy, management and decision‐making framework of local government. It allows for individual choices within a wider framework of collective choice and provision of services. It is capable of blending efficiency and equity criteria within a system of practical charging policies for local government services. Whilst retaining consistency of rationale, the proposal can be moulded to suit both the objectives and the particular characteristics of individual services. Practical examples are given, specific criticisms addressed and implementation is considered. The essential point is that it is compatible with the institutional framework within which it is applied.
POWER, STRATEGY AND GAMES: ECONOMIC REGULATION OF A PRIVATIZED UTILITY
Authors: MELVILLE ABIGAIL
Published: April 2007

This article rejects conventional ‘rational actor’ models of economic regulation in favour of a focus on processes of resource exchange and dependence. Using a case‐study of Yorkshire Water it identifies the membership and structure of the regulatory arena, the resources available to regulatory actors, the ‘rules of the game’, and the strategies adopted by regulator and regulated. It highlights the structurally privileged position of investors in water regulation and concludes that decision‐making excludes customer interests; decisions are made by professional actors on the basis of co‐operation and consensus; the regulator is relatively weak and depends on companies compliance to maintain its own legitimacy; and large companies have a great range of strategic options in pursuit of regulatory advantage.
SINGLE ISSUE LOCAL AUTHORITY ASSOCIATIONS: A NEW SPECIES FOR A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
Authors: GLADSTONE BRYAN , DUNCAN SIOBHAN
Published: April 2007

The purpose of this article is to explore the emergence of single issue local authority associations as a response to the changing nature of the central‐local government policy community in the past decade. The main theme of the article is that a gap has been created by the restructuring of local governance that neither individual local authorities nor the broad local authority associations are equipped to fill. Hence, new single issue local authority associations such as the Coalfield Communities Campaign, have been formed. They are necessitated by the unwillingness of broad local authority associations to preoccupy themselves with sectional and possibly divisive single issues and the inability of individual local authorities to command sufficient power within the policy community. As such they may well represent a fundamental change in the policy network, though it remains to be seen whether or not they will have a long‐term role.
BUREAUCRATIC POLITICS AND POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN BRUSSELS
Authors: PAGE EDWARD C. , WOUTERS LINDA
Published: April 2007

Political leadership offers an exceptionally important vehicle for democratic control in modem political systems. In national political systems this may be exercised by ministers. In the European Community the closest equivalent to a national minister is the commissioner. How well equipped are commissioners to exercise political leadership? This article examines the backgrounds and careers of all 76 commissioners, past and present, and argues that a ‘democratic deficit’ within the Commission is at least as important as the democratic deficit more conventionally associated with the demand for increased powers for the European Parliament.