The Politics of Public Sector Reform From Thatcher to the Coalition

by Burton, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780230363649
• ISBN10: 0230363644
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-06-17
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The UK public sector faces an unprecedented long-term challenge. A decade of plenty in the public finances has been followed by a decade and more of austerity. Public services are undergoing long-term annual spending cuts even as demographic changes create soaring demand in health, education and adult care. The challenge for the public sector is how to radically transform and adapt to the new era while avoiding the mistakes of previous reform programmes. In this first comprehensive 'bird's eye' account of public sector reform supported by studies from over 400 official sources, the book offers an invaluable practical guide to all those in the public, private and voluntary sectors grappling with the twin challenges of public spending austerity and the pressure to transform public services and ensure they are 'fit for purpose.'

Author Biography

Michael Burton is Executive Director of Policy, Design Council (an agency of the Department of Business Innovation and Skills) and the Editor of Municipal Journal, the market leading weekly business title for local government.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I: THE BACKGROUND TO REFORM
1. Reform under the Conservatives 1979-97
2. Reform under Labour 1997-2010
3. Reform under the Coalition 2010-2015
PART II: THE DRIVERS OF REFORM
4. Number Ten and the Cabinet Office
5. The Treasury
6. The Role of Parliament
7. The Role of the Consumer and Competition
PART III: REFORMING THE KEY PUBLIC SERVICES
8. Whitehall
9. The NHS
10. Local Governnment
11. The Police
12. Welfare
13. Education and Schools
PART IV: THE ROLE OF PERFORMANCE REGIMES IN PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM
14. Measuring Performance
15. Monitoring Performance
16. The International Perspective
Conclusion