Contemporary Political Studies
3 total works
An introduction to the historical development, nature, organization and role of the British civil service and an analysis of its importance as a political institution. The key precepts of permanency, neutrality and ministerial responsibility are outlined and a comparison made between the British civil service and other executives. The book also covers changes occurring in the civil service as a result of the Ibbs Report and the Next Steps Initiative, and looks at the relationship between Whitehall and Brussels. Up-to-date coverage includes the recent institutional changes and proposals for further reform.
The Public Management and Modernisation in Britain
by A Massey and Robert Pyper
Published 7 April 2005
This comprehensive introductory text starts by charting the origins and evolution of the shift from public administration to public management and moves on to assess the main theories and debates about its character, benefits and problems. After consideration of the party political issues and debates and continuities and discontinuities between the approaches of Thatcher, Major and Blair, the core of the book assesses the main dimensions of change in the organization and content of public sector organization and activity.
Britain's Modernised Civil Service provides detailed analysis of the structure and operation of the modern civil service along with an historically grounded account of its development. Key events, personalities and scandals help bring the account to life and illuminate and challenge the various theories of what the civil service is or should be.
The authors take the evolutionary change of the civil service as a central theme and examine the impact of the major reforms of recent years on the historic Whitehall unitary model. They assess the impact of the New Public Management agenda of the Thatcher and Major years and the role of the Civil Service in the multi-governmental context of devolution and membership of the European Union. Further changes associated with New Labour such the increased role of think tanks, special advisers and the impact of the freedom of information act further sharpen the picture of today's civil service and lead to a rethinking of theories of its role.
This readable book by two leading authorities provides an up-to-date account of Britain's Civil Service that will be essential reading for students of British politics, public policy and management.
June Burnham is a researcher and consultant in the area of public services and public policy and formerly Senior Lecturer in European Government at Middlesex University.
Robert Pyper is Professor of Government and Public Management, and Head of the Division of Public Policy at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is author of The British Civil Service for which this is a fully-revised replacement volume.
The authors take the evolutionary change of the civil service as a central theme and examine the impact of the major reforms of recent years on the historic Whitehall unitary model. They assess the impact of the New Public Management agenda of the Thatcher and Major years and the role of the Civil Service in the multi-governmental context of devolution and membership of the European Union. Further changes associated with New Labour such the increased role of think tanks, special advisers and the impact of the freedom of information act further sharpen the picture of today's civil service and lead to a rethinking of theories of its role.
This readable book by two leading authorities provides an up-to-date account of Britain's Civil Service that will be essential reading for students of British politics, public policy and management.
June Burnham is a researcher and consultant in the area of public services and public policy and formerly Senior Lecturer in European Government at Middlesex University.
Robert Pyper is Professor of Government and Public Management, and Head of the Division of Public Policy at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is author of The British Civil Service for which this is a fully-revised replacement volume.