Public management reform in the UK and its consequesnces for professional organisation: a comparative analysis

Ackroyd, Stephen and Kirkpatrick, Ian and Walker, Richard M. (2007) Public management reform in the UK and its consequesnces for professional organisation: a comparative analysis. Public Administration: An International Quarterly, 85 (1). pp. 9-26. ISSN 0033-3298

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Abstract

It is often assumed in the literature on public management reforms that radical changes in values, work and organization have occurred or are under way. In this paper our aim is to raise questions about this account. Focusing on three services in the UK, each dominated by organized professions – health care, housing, and social services – significant variations in the effectiveness of reforms are noted. The available research also suggests that these outcomes have been inversely proportional to the efforts expended on introducing new management practices. The most radical changes have been in housing, where, paradoxically, successive UK governments focused least attention. By contrast, in health and social services, management restructuring has been less effective, despite the greater resources devoted to it. This variation is attributed to professional values and institutions, against which reforms were directed, and the extent to which different groups became locked either into strategies of resistance or accommodation.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Public Administration: An International Quarterly
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/aacsb/disciplinebasedresearch
Subjects:
?? PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONSOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCEDISCIPLINE-BASED RESEARCH ??
ID Code:
45101
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
11 Jul 2011 18:26
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
21 Sep 2023 01:05