In vogue with the international currents of public management, the United Kingdom's New Labour government sees the outsourcing, or externalisation, of public service delivery as a key instrument of performance improvement. Evidence suggests, however, that a significant proportion of local...

That England has a hierarchical relationship between central and local government is a staple of postwar constitutional commentary. By using cultural theory’s five modes of organisation—namely, hierarchies, markets, networks, autonomism, and fatalism—to analyse 109 interviews conducted...

Organizational failure in the public sector is an increasingly topical issue. Media attention to high-profile cases of dysfunction has been matched by vigorous government determination to identify and remedy perceived weaknesses in the provision of public services. Research on organizational...