Britain's Modernised Civil Service

"[R]equired reading for scholars and practitioners alike... this book continues to maintain the high standards that have been set by its predecessors" - Paul Carmichael, Public Administration

This comprehensively revised replacement volume for Pyper's popular text The British Civil Service provides a broad-ranging introduction to the civil service today. It explains and assesses the impact on the civil service of the historic Whitehall unitary model, the New Public Management of Thatcher and Major and Blair's modernisation.Britain's Modernised Civil Service provides detailed analysis of the structure and operation of the modern civil service along with an historically grounded account of its development. Key events, personalities and scandals help bring the account to life and illuminate and challenge the various theories of what the civil service is or should be.

The authors take the evolutionary change of the civil service as a central theme and examine the impact of the major reforms of recent years on the historic Whitehall unitary model. They assess the impact of the New Public Management agenda of the Thatcher and Major years and the role of the Civil Service in the multi-governmental context of devolution and membership of the European Union. Further changes associated with New Labour such the increased role of think tanks, special advisers and the impact of the freedom of information act further sharpen the picture of today's civil service and lead to a rethinking of theories of its role.

This readable book by two leading authorities provides an up-to-date account of Britain's Civil Service that will be essential reading for students of British politics, public policy and management.

June Burnham is a researcher and consultant in the area of public services and public policy and formerly Senior Lecturer in European Government at Middlesex University.

Robert Pyper is Professor of Government and Public Management, and Head of the Division of Public Policy at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is author of The British Civil Service for which this is a fully-revised replacement volume.