Hollowing Out or Filling In? Taskforces and the Management of Cross-Cutting Issues in British Government

Taylor, Andrew J.

doi:10.1111/1467-856x.00024

Cited by 48 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A major problem of public sector reform was the diffusion of responsibility and the weakening of public accountability when major public services involving the public interest were transferred to non‐traditional government departments (Taylor, ; Pollitt, ; 6, ; Flinders, ). Many became irresponsive to the traditional public oversight such as the legislature but at the same time not subject to market discipline as they were often the monopolistic supplier of a service in the market.…”

Section: Public Administration Reforms In the Post‐handover Eramentioning

confidence: 99%

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Wong

2013

Public Admin & Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY This article examines the limits of Western public administration models and the importance of a contextually embedded and empirically based approach of knowledge building in Asian public administration. It is attainted through a case study of the post‐1997 public administration reform in Hong Kong to illustrate the mismatching between major models of Western public administration and the Asian domestic contexts. There are questions and doubts about both the goals and results of the public management reforms in Hong Kong. This article argues that post‐handover reforms in Hong Kong cannot be fully explained by the normative and efficiency‐oriented model of new public management self‐claimed by the government. They are driven more by the political elite that emerged in the new political order after Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty in 1997. Using administrative solutions to resolve political problems and address concerns on the domestic agenda has been a character of Hong Kong's administration, which is generalizable to other Asian countries. The article also sheds light on the bigger underlying questions raised in comparative public administration about the inadequate explanatory power of generalized Western public administration models and how the national context of Asian countries is more diverse and complicated from a so‐called global model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Section: Public Administration Reforms In the Post‐handover Eramentioning

confidence: 99%

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Wong

2013

Public Admin & Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At the same time, given the diversity in the nature of localities, it seems plausible to assume that there are differences between networks operating in various localities. Some scholars argue that private actors' interests may gain primacy within these highly decentralized arrangements at the local level; others assert that public actors retain primacy in the new arrangements (Taylor 2000; Stoker 2004; Geddes 2005; Davies 2007; Whitehead 2007). This makes local government a very suitable context for examining the central concerns of this study, both because such collaborations have become more salient at this level of government and because the potential variance in the networks can reveal the benefits of the suggested typology.…”

Section: Towards a Typology Of Governance Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐capacity and Low‐capacity Governance Networks in Welfare Services Delivery: A Typology and Empirical Examination of the Case of Israeli Municipalities

Menahem

Stein

2012

Public Administration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A major argument of this paper is that to enhance the theoretical value of the concept of governance one must focus on how governance networks operate and with what outcomes. To that end, the paper offers a typology of governance‐network capacity (GNC). Network capacity is assessed on a continuum from low to high, on the basis of four abilities of public actors: to select non‐public collaborators, determine the goals of the network, exercise professional discretion, and recruit new resources. Differences in GNC are discussed in terms of their implications for equality and the degree to which new forms of governing networks create bases for retaining or increasing the inequality between municipalities. The paper presents findings from a study of collaborations between public and non‐public actors in 78 governance networks that provide welfare services, operating in six municipalities in Israel.

show abstract

“…Holliday (2000) notes how several specialist Cabinet Office units were formed to facilitate joined‐up action on cross‐cutting policy issues: women, anti‐drugs, social exclusion, performance and innovation. The Social Exclusion Unit was identified by the Performance and Innovation Unit as a model to be used throughout Whitehall (Taylor, 2000, p. 56). The Cabinet Office also has overall responsibility for managing the Civil Service; and its influence extends to the legislature, with the Parliamentary Business Support team coming under its sphere of influence.…”

Section: The Anglo‐governance School: a New Orthodoxy?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Governing beyond the Centre: A Critique of the Anglo-Governance School

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One of the more intriguing theoretical discussions of recent years involves the concept of governance. There is now a substantial body of work concerning the way governance has affected the contribution of central government to the policy process. Possibly the most prominent and influential account of governance theory in British political science is offered by Rod Rhodes. His most recent writings have employed governance theory to explore the institutions, actors and processes of change within the core executive. His 'Anglo-governance' model has emerged as a prevalent and authoritative account of how new methods of governing have emerged in society. Significantly, it is maintained that a distinct shift has taken place in government, from a hierarchical organisation to a fragmented and decentralised entity that is heavily reliant on a range of complex and independent policy networks. There is undoubted evidence that government is a fractured institution that is dependent on state and non-state actors beyond the centre. This paper questions whether such features entail the emergence of a new form of governance. Central government is still highly resourced and has, at its disposal, a range of powers with which to retain influence over public sector agencies. Historical evidence also shows that the British polity has long been decentralised. Thus, it is difficult to see how recent developments have in any way transformed the capacities of the core executive. It seems that alternative ways of conceptualising the institutions, actors and processes of change in government are required. Recent efforts to develop 'organising perspectives', within the intellectual parameters of governance theory, offer a more 'conceptually cautious' treatment of the central state. Gamble (1990) claims that theory generation is not a particular 'brand feature' of British political science. The preference is for empiricism over theorising. This might seem a little caricatured or even unfair; he acknowledges that 'it is hard for political scientists to avoid general theories altogether' (Gamble, 1990, p. 406). One of the more intriguing theoretical discussions of recent years involves the concept of governance. There is now a substantial body of work concerning the way governance has affected the contribution of central government to the policy process. There are different definitions of what is meant by 'governance' and distinct analytical interpretations as to its impact in government.Possibly the most prominent and influential account of governance theory in British political science is offered by Rod Rhodes. His more recent writings embrace governance theory to explore theoretically the institutions, actors and processes of change within the core executive. His 'Anglo-governance' model has formed into an authoritative theory of how new methods of governing society have emerged. As part of this analysis, he examines the contribution made by actors and institutions beyond the central state to the process of governance. This theoretical con...

show abstract

Hollowing Out or Filling In? Taskforces and the Management of Cross-Cutting Issues in British Government

Cited by 48 publications

References 9 publications

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

High‐capacity and Low‐capacity Governance Networks in Welfare Services Delivery: A Typology and Empirical Examination of the Case of Israeli Municipalities

Governing beyond the Centre: A Critique of the Anglo-Governance School

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About