The Ashgate Research Companion to New Public Management

'The Companion provides the first comprehensive overview of the most important changes in democratic administrative reform in the post-War era. This will equip scholars, students and policy makers with a solid foundation on which to build assessments of the new approaches to performance management, accountability and flexibility. Well written and presented, the chapters combine sound theoretical insight with useful overviews of national systems. Whether one is an ardent supporter or determined critic of these reforms, the Companion will serve as a starting point for analysis and assessment.' Mark Considine, University of Melbourne, Australia 'New Public Management has swept much of the world in the past 20-30 years, a reform movement fed by its adoption by major governments and its promotion by many international agencies. Much has been written about it, puzzling over its origins, the reasons for its appeal and its consequences. This excellent volume presents a comprehensive, systematic and provocative review of how this happened, what it means, and what its effects have been. A must collection for anyone interested in contemporary administrative reform.' Joel D. Aberbach, Center for American Politics and Public Policy, UCLA, USA 'If you want to understand how and why the public sector has changed in the last twenty years, and how and why it has resisted or translated change, this is the definitive account to read. The leading international researches in the field do not only tell what happened, but offer realistic and compelling theoretical explanations.' Werner Jann, University of Potsdam, Germany 'What exactly has been discovered about the much debated phenomenon of "New Public Management" (NPM), after nearly 20 years of research? If anything can tell us that, it should be this weighty book, written by nearly 40 academics who have debated the issues in international forums for 15 years or so... the book will be an essential source of reference because most