Public Value Management, Governance and Reform in Britain

by John Connolly (Editor), Arno van der Zwet (Editor)

Overview

This book examines developments in governance reform in Britain, with a particular focus on the period since 2010. We argue that the experiences of the past decade mean that public value-based ideas are required to inform governance reform for the coming years. This needs to be prioritised due to the twin challenges of managing the aftermath of Brexit and navigating through the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume outlines key themes, issues and debates relevant to contemporary public sector reform including: modes of state governance, evidence-based policy-making debates, the challenges and possibilities of public sector innovation, accountability issues, and the implications of Brexit. The overall conclusion of the book is that the coming decade presents an opportunity for more paradigmatic changes to UK governance but, for this to happen, political leaders need to prioritise a ‘reinventing government’ agenda underpinned by public value-based thinking and approaches. This book will be of particular interest to students of politics and public administration and relevant for those with general research interests in British governance and public policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030555863
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	11/23/2020
Series:	International Series on Public Policy
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

John Connolly is Professor of Public Policy at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. He writes on the topic of public sector reform, multi-level governance, evaluation and crisis management. His previous book is The Politics and Crisis Management of Animal Health Security (2015). He undertakes consultancy for major public sector bodies and has contributed to Research Council projects both nationally and internationally.

Arno van der Zwet is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Public Policy at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. His research interests include territorial governance, territorial identity and territorial development policies. He has led research projects for European Commission, European Parliament, World Bank and Research Councils. 

Hometown:

Dublin, Ireland

Date of Birth:

May 31, 1968

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Education:

B.A. in English, Trinity College Dublin, 1992; M.A. in Journalism, Dublin City University, 1993

Website:

http://www.johnconnolly.co.uk

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 2. Public Value in Britain: A 'Post-New Public Management' Environment?.- 3. Public Sector Reform in the UK: Key Developments, Debates and Political Responses in Challenging Times.- 4. Modes of State Governance, Populist Pressures and Public Sector Reform.- 5. Evidence Based Policy and Public Value Management: Mutually-Supporting Paradigms?.- 6. Public Service Innovation: Challenging and Possibilities for Innovation Adoption.- 7. Public Value Leadership in the Context of Outcomes, Impact and Reform.- 8. Accountability and Networks: Mind the Gap.- 9. Public Value Management in Brexit Britain.- 10. Public Value Management: A Paradigm.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

‘This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in British public policy-making. The edited volume by John Connolly and Arno can der Zwet brings together excellent, comprehensive and thematic accounts of governance reforms by leading public policy experts. At a time when the UK is responding to the challenges of Brexit and COVID-19, the insights provided by leading scholars in the field offer a timely and detailed examinations of contemporary governance developments in the United Kingdom’.

—John Bachtler, Professor of European Policy Studies and Director of the European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde, UK

‘This book makes a compelling case to understand contemporary UK governance before we seek to reform it. In public discourse, there remains a troubling belief that governments can simply deliver the policy outcomes they seek, even though this belief is challenged by most policy studies. Only by analysing governance in depth can we understand its limits and recommend feasible reforms’.

—Paul Cairney, Professor of European Policy Studies, University of Stirling, UK