Continuity and Change in Public Policy and Management

Reviews / Votes

'This lucid, vivid and intelligent book on "continuity and change" in policy and management by Pollitt and Bouckaert follows in the footsteps of Pollitt's previous book on the issue of time, a vital but often neglected issue. In the present book the focus is on comparisons: Britain and Belgium, hospitals and police, national and local, and comparison over time. Again conceptually rich, this book makes you think. The best a book can do.' -- Walter Kickert, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands 'Students working on case studies often complain that theory comes in the way of the actual story. This study provides an inspiring example of the opposite. While the authors indeed strongly draw on their extensive theoretical knowledge, this is done in such an elegant and subtle way that this book becomes a real pleasure to read. It is a welcome reminder that excellent research is not only methodologically sound and theoretically relevant, but can also be genuinely interesting and simply fun to read.' -- Jeroen Maesschalck, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium 'This ambitious analysis of public policy and management ranges over time, across two fields (hospitals and police), two contrasting country systems (Belgium and the United Kingdom) and levels of government. Using a grounded approach to address the complexities and subtleties of different layers and rates of change, the study provides a pioneering and profound analysis that few current books in public management and policy can equal. The concluding chapters on theories of change and doctrines of comparison (essentially methodology) provide masterly reflections on policy and management, and theoretical insights for further examination.' -- John Halligan, University of Canberra, Australia 'This comparative account of public policy and management in England and Belgium provides a fascinating and absorbing analysis of change between 1965 and 2005. Using a "historical institutionalist approach", Pollitt and Bouckaert draw on local case studies of the police and hospitals in Brighton and Leuven to illustrate the complex interface between national policy making and its implementation and to highlight the difficulties of managing change in major institutions. They argue that differences derive from the distinctive features of the national political systems whereas similarities, such as organisational specialisation, managerialism and technological change, are generated by international trends in society and technology. This text, at once readable, thoughtful and provocative, will appeal widely to both those who study policy and those whose aim is to make and implement it at national or local level.' -- Sue Balloch, University of Brighton, UK