Managing Social Policy

"The book locates the rise of management within a social and political context, a crucial and neglected issue. Further, it presents a welcome recognition of the complexity of managerialism. In the round, the book is a comprehensive and critical examination of managerialism. Like all good books, it stimulates, particularly when one does not agree, and some of the chapters deserve to be read and reread." --Local Government Studies Management has been accorded a central role in the restructuring of the welfare state in contemporary Britain since the s. This innovative volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the significance of this role of management. The contributors show how managerialism has provided a link between political commitments to introduce markets, make public agencies responsive to consumers, and create a new mixed economy of welfare on the one hand; and on the other, the institutional reforms of particular welfare policies. Though this process has attracted public attention, the impact of managerialism has been felt throughout the range of public services. They show how this role has had profound consequences on the organization and delivery of public services, on the political processes of policy formation and control, on systems of accountability, and on the experiences of the recipients of the services. Examining the significance of managerialism both as part of the general restructuring of welfare since the 1970s, and in the specific context of public service delivery, this book offers a unique insight into the contemporary shaping of social welfare. This volume is essential reading for students of social welfare, social and public policy, and public sector management.