Purpose – Reform of local political management continues to be part of the international agenda for change as governments seek to create the conditions for better performance in local government. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of changes in political management upon the...

This article shows that regulation of the employment relationship in European public services has tended to give more importance to collective bargaining than to unilateral employer regulation. Although collective bargaining is a general trend, it is not the same in every country. This article...

Britain's public sector has undergone a series of radical structural and managerial changes over the past 20 years. These changes are associated with public‐sector reform and innovations in public management. They have impacted significantly on the ways in which public employees are recruited,...

This article explores raters' understanding on the decision‐making process in the public service performance appraisal system (PAS) by looking at the cognitive processing models (CPM) steps involved. Presents the results of semi‐structured cognitive mapping interviews undertaken with novice...

As part of the preparations for the accession of Slovenia to the European Union, the National Health Insurance Institute has introduced a European model for quality management. In this regard, a benchmarking has been carried out, comparing the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia with the...

This article examines the reasons individuals would choose electronic self‐service delivery methods over more traditional methods of service delivery for government services. The study investigated the factors related to decision making when people consider and evaluate the usage of an online...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace the origin and development of the increased use of the voluntary sector in the delivery of public services in the UK and to identify both the threats and opportunities that this policy poses. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses...

Purpose – Despite the vast amount of literature covering the concept of leadership, it remains contentious, under‐conceptualised and often uncritical. The purpose of this paper is to question the validity of the concept and dispute its application. Design/methodology/approach – The paper...

Purpose – The transfer to partnership in public sector management has created significantly new modes of service delivery, and is suggested to be the best means of ensuring that disadvantaged groups are socially included. The purpose of this paper is to examine New Leisure Trust (NLT)...

Purpose – The article seeks to argue for an engaged civil service to foster a vibrant citizenry, essential in and of itself to sustain democracy especially during a time of turmoil. Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on an extensive review of the literature. Findings –...