This is the first book length assessment of the executive agency revolution in UK central government, part of the New Public Management, with 65 per cent of civil servants now working in agencies. The 'Next Steps' reformers' public interest view suggested value for money improvements. However, original analysis of budgets, performance data, documents and interviews reveals some support for an alternative 'bureau-shaping' perspective from rational choice, with officials using the reform to protect their welfare and substantial performance problems, especially in 'joining-up' government.

This textbook examines what it means to have efficient management and good quality services in the public sector and how public sector performance can be improved.

Wade and Forsyth's Administrative Law has been a cornerstone text since publication of the first edition in 1961. It provides a comprehensive and perceptive account of the principles of judicial review and the administrative arrangements of the United Kingdom. For over sixty years, this text has been trusted by students and is extensively cited by courts throughout the common law world. The book's clarity of exposition makes it accessible to students approaching the subject for the first time, whilst its breadth of coverage and perceptive insight ensure its value to all interested in the field, academics and practitioners alike.

Many countries now use agencies rather than ministries to deliver central government services. There have been many claims about the benefits of organizing and delivering government in this way, but there has been little research into how they work in practice. Agencies both reviews existing theories and models of 'agentification' and adds detailed analysis of major new empirical evidence. Based partly on a major international research project and partly on a reinterpretation of the existing literature, this book gets inside the world of agencies and ministries. An in-depth analysis of agencies in four EU countries serves as a basis for testing alternative theoretical models and developing a new approach to the complexities of contemporary government.

This book describes and compares how semi-autonomous agencies are created and governed by 30 governments. It leads practitioners and researchers through the crowded world of agencies, describing their tasks, autonomy, control and history. Evidence-based lessons and recommendations are formulated to improve agencification policies in post-NPM times.

This exploration of the political and policy-making roles of public bureaucracies offers comparative analysis of the effects of politics on bureaucracy including international case studies on North America, Western and Eastern European and Asian countries; discussion of how governments have been developing strategies to enhance co-ordination and coherence across their programmes; analysis of the use of performance management in public administration; and revision and updating to take into account new literature that has emerged in recent years, including a discussion of E-Governance and analysis of 'new public management'.

Written by B. Guy Peters, a leading authority in the field, this comprehensive exploration of the political and policy making roles of public bureaucracies is now available in a fully revised seventh edition, offering extensive, well-documented comparative analysis of the effects of politics on bureaucracy. Updates to this edition include: All new coverage of public administration in Latin America and Africa, with special attention paid to the impact of New Public Management and other ideas for reform; An examination of the European Union and its effects on public policy and public administration in member countries, as well as an exploration of the EU as a particular type of bureaucracy; A renewed emphasis on coordination and the role of central agencies; A thorough assessment of 'internationalization' of bureaucracies and concerns with the role of international pressures on domestic governments and organizations in the public sector; Coverage of the wide-ranging impacts of the 2008 economic slowdown on public bureaucracies and public policies, and the varied success of governmental responses to the crisis. Drawing on evidence from a wide variety of political systems, The Politics of Bureaucracy, Seventh Edition, continues to be essential reading for all students of government, policy analysis, politics, and international relations.