This book brings together public services policy and public services management in a new way, challenging many old ideas in this field and presenting the debate of what 'critical' constitutes when applied to public services policy and management.
This book brings together public services policy and public services management in a novel way that is likely to resonate with academics, policy makers and practitioners engaged in the organization of public services delivery as it is from a perspective that challenges many received ideas in this field.
Starting from the perspective of critical management studies, the contributors to this volume embed a critical perspective on policy orthodoxy around critical public services policy and management studies (CPPMS). In so doing the authors bring together previous disparate fields of public services policy and public services management, but more importantly, debate and present what 'critical' constitutes when applied to public services policy and management. This edited collection presents chapters from a broad range of public services domains including health, education, prisons, local and central government and deals with a range of contemporary issues facing public services managers are examined, including regulation of professions, risk management, user involvement, marketing and leadership.
'This is an exciting book for both inquiring academics and frustrated practitioners - refreshing in its willingness and ability to challenge many of the shibboleths that are still associated with an overly managerialist approach to the reform of public service organisations' Robert Gregory (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)
