Reorienting A Nation Consultants And Australian Public Policy

First published in 1998, this volume examines how in the 1980s Australian governments experienced dramatic change in the policy-making environment. The use of consultants by successive Hawke Labour governments in the mid-to-late 1980s to facilitate reviews of public policy was a strategy important to dealing with the complexity of these issues. This book shows how the use of policy consultants complements traditional policy-making processes and the management of public policy change by government. In the 1980s Australian governments experienced dramatic and often unprecedented change in policy-making environment. Moves towards market-orientated, 'small' government in a context of worlds economic liberalisation created new and challenging issues for national governments. The use of consultants by successive Hawke Labour governments in the mid-to-late 1980s to facilitate reviews of public policy was a strategy important to dealing with the complexity of these issues. Using insights from a range of public policy literatures, the research investigated the hypothesis that the use of consultants to review important policy areas could be an effective strategy for devising major new directions needed in a context of economic turbulence. In this situation, the book suggests, use of policy consultants complements traditional policy-making processes and the management of public policy change by government.

This collection of seven essays, authored by leading Canadian academics, examines different aspects of the relationship between government and environmental issues.

This Volume of the Netherlands Yearbook of International Law explores emerging trends and key developments in international economic law. It examines shifts in the levels of cooperation (from multilateral to plurilateral, regional or bilateral—or vice versa), and shifts in the forms of cooperation (new types of actors and instruments). These trends are analysed both from a conceptual and a practical perspective, with contributions addressing drivers for change, historical perspectives, future developments, and evolutions in specific policy fields. While a focus on international economic law may certainly not tell the whole story in relation to shifts in levels and forms of international cooperation, it does allow for a more detailed analysis of some of the important trends we currently witness. The Netherlands Yearbook of International Law was first published in 1970. It offers a forum for the publication of scholarly articles in a varying thematic area of public international law.

Sheds new light on the use of external public policy consultants from an interdisciplinary and international comparative approach.

'This is an excellent 'do-it-yourself' introductory study to public sector management, covering a wide range of issues, including recent public service reforms. I recommend it to anyone interested in the practice and study of public sector management.' - Tony Ayers, National President, Institute of Public Administration Australia The traditional view of public sector management is under challenge. The shifting boundaries of the public-private sector are transforming the nature of the public sector in the 21st century and placing increasing demands on managers. This user-friendly handbook examines the changes that have taken place over the last twenty years and addresses the practical issues faced by public servants today. It makes abundant use of exhibits, case studies and real world examples to illustrate key concepts in public sector management. By including many 'points for reference', the authors challenge readers to apply both theory and practice to those public services situations with which they are familiar. Australian Handbook of Public Sector Management is a unique blend of academic and practical approaches to current management practices in the public sector. It has been designed to assist students and those new to the public sector to develop the knowledge and skills they require to provide high quality public services.

Global policy making is unfurling in distinctive ways above traditional nation-state policy processes. New practices of transnational administration are emerging inside international organizations but also alongside the trans-governmental networks of regulators and inside global public private partnerships. Mainstream policy and public administration studies have tended to analyse the capacity of public sector hierarchies to globalize national policies. By contrast, this Handbook investigates new public spaces of transnational policy-making, the design and delivery of global public goods and services, and the interdependent roles of transnational administrators who move between business bodies, government agencies, international organizations, and professional associations. This Handbook is novel in taking the concepts and theories of public administration and policy studies to get inside the black box of global governance. Transnational administration is a multi-actor and multi-scalar endeavour having manifestations, depending on the policy issue or problems, at the local, urban, sub-regional, sub-national, regional, national, supranational, supra-regional, transnational, international, and global scales. These scales of 'local' and 'global' are not neatly bounded and nested spaces but are articulated together in complex patterns of policy activity. These transnational patterns represent a reinvigoration of public administration and policy studies as the Handbook authors advance their analysis beyond the methodological nationalism of the nation-state.

A Modern Guide to Public Policy explores the many approaches and methodologies in the study of policy making that have appeared over recent decades, ranging from the examination of micro level of human behaviour to the impact of global political systems on policies and policy-making. This expertly curated and accessible Elgar Modern Guide is a valuable resource for both graduate and undergraduate students and for practitioners seeking an introduction to public policy and public management and a concise guide to research in the discipline.

Management consultants of various kinds play an important role in the world of business, and within other types of organization. The Oxford Handbook on Management Consulting is a comprehensive overview of thinking and research on management consultancy with contributions from leading international scholars. The first section provides an account of the historical developments in management consulting research, and how current thinking has evolved from prior work. The second section focuses on disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, their diversities, areas of synergy, and parallel concerns. The following sections examine consulting as a knowledge business, consultants and management fashion, and the relationship between management consultants and their clients. The Handbook concludes with an assessment of areas of future research and debate. By bringing together a wide range of research and thinking on management consulting across different disciplines, sub-disciplines, and conceptual approaches, the Handbook provides a comprehensive understanding of both current thinking and future directions for research.