Cutback Management in Public Bureaucracies

This book offers a thorough examination of bureaucratic cutbacks in the UK during the Thatcher era, analyzing their implementation and impact. Cutback Management in Public Bureaucracies provides essential insights.

In Cutback Management in Public Bureaucracies, Professors Dunsire and Hood delve into the significant transformations in the British government during the years 1976 to 1985. This period, marked by the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, witnessed extensive bureaucratic cutbacks that reshaped the landscape of public administration. The authors explore existing theories on management cutbacks and rigorously compare them to the realities faced in Britain, offering a comprehensive historical analysis of this pivotal decade.

The narrative begins by setting the context of the global trend toward reducing bureaucratic structures, fueled by a growing sentiment that taxes are excessive and the number of bureaucrats is too high. The British government's approach, particularly under Thatcher, is often cited as a successful model, especially in terms of reducing the civil service workforce. The book highlights a staggering decrease of nearly 20 percent in the number of civil servants, from approximately 750,000 to fewer than 600,000, prompting critical questions about the methods and implications of such cutbacks.

As the authors investigate the implementation of these reductions, they address whether the burden was distributed evenly among civil servants and policy programs or if it was merely a superficial exercise in fiscal management. By examining these critical issues, Cutback Management in Public Bureaucracies provides valuable insights into the complexities of managing bureaucratic reductions and their long-term effects on public governance.