Agencies : how governments do things through semi-autonomous organizations / Christopher Pollitt ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Pollitt, Christopher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Administrative agencies.

Physical Description:

xi, 304 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

1 Agencies: The Context 3

2 Modern Agencies - The Ideal Type 30

Part II Agencies in Four Countries: A Comparison 47

3 Finland 49

4 The Netherlands 63

5 Sweden 79

6 The United Kingdom 97

Part III Comparing Tasks 115

7 Prisons 117

8 Meteorology 147

9 Forestry 183

10 Social Security 216

Appendix The Europair Research Project 267.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-285) and index.

ISBN:

1403933227

OCLC:

55286689