Purpose – Recent changes in the UK political landscape have brought about cuts in public sector spending. Local authorities, in common with other public sector agencies, are required to make significant cost savings over the coming years. Procurement is an area of public sector administration...

Purpose – This paper aims to put forward for consideration new insights into the creation of “second order” change in local government. Design/methodology/approach – In‐depth interviews were carried out in five local authorities to investigate risk management (RM) processes....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a picture of (local) e‐government impact and development philosophy in China, New Zealand, Oman, and the UK. Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument was used to collect data from policymakers in 114 civil service organisations in...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the back office efficiency savings made by English councils during the 2004 Spending Review (SR04) period in order to consider the relationship between service delivery, audit and inspection and, efficiency programmes in local government. It...

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...

The article attempts to assess the impact of party change on budgetary output in three Local Authorities in the UK. An examination is also made of the impact that central government policy may have on local government spending. Party change and central government policy are found to have an...

Provides evidence to show the budget‐setting process in local authorities is incremental in nature. Planned programmed budgeting systems and zero based budgeting systems do not appear to have a place in local authority decision making largely because the process is a political one and is...

Throughout the 1980s there has been growing interest in the concept of “corporate culture”, and its effects on economic performance. Investigates corporate culture in both theoretical and practical terms. By constructing a model of the internal and external relationships which organizations...

Covers the reasons why planning consultants are employed and gives some indication of what and who is involved in the buying decision. Examines the risks perceived by local authority officers and details the many ways in which these officers attempt to reduce the risk of an unsatisfactory...

Looks at how radical some of the “Thatcherite” reforms in public management have been, and explores the structural changes to public sector organizations. Briefly examines the introduction of executive agencies in central government; the quasi‐market into the health service and competitive...