This article evaluates the current attempt to develop local quot;compactsquot; between local government and the voluntary and community sector, as a way of structuring the evolving relationships between these sectors. It is based on documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with key...

<title>Abstract</title> The prior history of voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) as pioneers of public services during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century has lead to reification of the innovativeness of these organisations. Is this reification justified -- are VCOs inherently...

This article proposes an innovative model of marketing practice for public services. This is rooted in the paradigm of relationship marketing and emphasizes the need to build relational capital between and within organizations operating in the public services arena. It is argued that this is...

This article presents an initial assessment of the impact of the HM Treasury's 'Cross Cutting Review' (CCR) of the role of the voluntary and community sector in service provision in the UK. The analysis offered focuses in particular upon the rising agenda towards <italic>voluntary sector modernization</italic>...

Comparative perspectives on modernizing local governance provide a useful context for discussing change and continuity within the New Public Management paradigm. They highlight divergence within nation states as well as across nation states. The modernizing local governance debate challenges...