The technology of so‐called new public management (NPM) in the UK encompasses a broad range of approaches to the reform of public services based loosely around notions of downsizing the State, cost‐cutting, marketisation, competition and emphasis on the reform of accounting within the...

Considers why different explanations of the same event can be produced and discusses the characteristics of a good explanation. It identifies and analyses a wide range of different published explanations of a seminal public administration policy‐change. It separates those accounts of that...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that affect corporate governance in Australian state government departments. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 65 executives and middle managers from 25 departments across...

Purpose – Describes how workforce planning, talent management and the improved use of human‐resource information and workforce market intelligence have supported Birmingham City Council to respond to current financial pressures. Design/methodology/approach – Draws on the work undertaken by...

In the fall of 2001, the Foresight and Governance Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center began a process to develop long‐term (40‐50 year) goals for governments. This project, supported by NASA, involved both domestic and international surveys and a workshop held in May of 2002. The workshop...

In this article, we draw together aspects of contemporary theories of knowledge (particularly organisational knowledge) and complexity theory to demonstrate how appropriate conceptual rigor enables both the role of government and the directions of policy development in knowledge‐based...

Purpose This paper aims at analysing the relationship between anticipation and public administration based on a case study focusing on a specific public agency in charge of knowledge production for policymaking. Design/methodology/approach It is based on a case study methodology: anticipatory...