A Government That Worked Better and Cost Less? Evaluating Three Decades of Reform and Change in UK Central Government
AuthorChristopher Hood and Ruth Dixon
CountryUnited Kingdom
SubjectNew Public Management
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication date
2 April 2015
Pages256
ISBN978-0-19-968702-2

A Government That Worked Better and Cost Less? Evaluating Three Decades of Reform and Change in UK Central Government is a book written by Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon, and published by Oxford University Press in 2015. The authors attempt to assess the success of three decades of New Public Management, which was intended to create "a government that works better and costs less", concluding that "The short answer seems to be: higher costs and more complaints".[1] The book was described by Michael Moran as "brilliant, highly original", and he concluded that "Future researchers will see further precisely because they will be able to stand on the shoulders of these scholars".[2] In November 2015 the book was awarded the Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration "for its comprehensive study of reform, cost and performance".[3][4][5][6] In November 2016 it was awarded the W. J. M. Mackenzie award of the Political Studies Association,[7] the jury stating that the book "carries considerable implications for policy-making, as well as the field of academic enquiry which it addresses."[8] The book was repeatedly cited in Michael Barber's report Delivering better outcomes for citizens: practical steps for unlocking public value.[9]

In a review published in Civil Service World,[10] and subsequently republished in Total Politics,[11] Austin Mitchell wrote that "the message of this book is clear and simple: don’t believe the messianic idea merchants who tell us that their reforms will put everything right, or that if you make senior civil servants managers and delivery boys rather than policy wonks, all will be well". Sir David Bell summarised the conclusions for Times Higher Education as "Rather prosaically, but perhaps unsurprisingly, Hood and Dixon conclude that, actually, government has cost a bit more and worked a bit worse over the period".[12] Writing for the LSE Review of Books Tom Thatcham described the book as "required reading for students of New Public Management".[13] In The Guardian David Walker described the authors as "ingenious" and "painstaking".[14] The book received four separate reviews in the academic journal Governance,[15][16][17][18] and further reviews in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies,[19] in Political Studies Review,[20] and in Social Policy & Administration.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Hood, Christopher; Dixon, Ruth (July 2015). "What We Have to Show for 30 Years of New Public Management: Higher Costs, More Complaints". Governance. 28 (3): 265–267. doi:10.1111/gove.12150.
  2. ↑ Moran, Michael (3 November 2015). "A Government That Worked Better and Cost Less?: Evaluating Three Decades of Reform and Change in UK Central Government". Public Administration. 94: 282–284. doi:10.1111/padm.12232.
  3. ↑ Trahan, Lisa (13 November 2015). "Media Advisory" (PDF) (Press release). Washington, D. C.: National Academy of Public Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "2015 Fall Meeting". National Academy of Public Administration. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Department of Politics and International Relations (16 November 2015). "Professor Christopher Hood and Dr Ruth Dixon receive 2015 Louis Brownlow Book Award". News & Media. University of Oxford. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Brownlow book award" (PDF). Blueprint. University of Oxford. February 2016. p. 6. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "PSA Awards: the public, academics, media, culture and politicians have all shaped an extraordinary year in politics". News. Political Studies Association. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon awarded book prize". News. Blavatnik School of Government. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  9. ↑ Barber, Michael (17 November 2017). "Delivering better outcomes for citizens: practical steps for unlocking public value". HM Treasury. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  10. ↑ Mitchell, Austin (4 June 2015). "Meddle management: A review of 'A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less?'". Civil Service World. London: Dod's Parliamentary Communications. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Mitchell, Austin (5 June 2015). "Book review: A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less?". Total Politics. London: Dods (Group) PLC. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "What are you reading?". Times Higher Education. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Thatcher, Tom. "Book Review: A Government That Worked Better And Cost Less?". LSE Review of Books. London School of Economics. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  14. ↑ Walker, David (27 May 2015). "Outsourcing can often increase public service costs, not cut them". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "Book Reviews". Governance. 29. January 2016. doi:10.1111/gove.2016.29.issue-1.
  16. ↑ Lægreid, Per (January 2016). "A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less?". Governance. 29 (1): 139–140. doi:10.1111/gove.12181.
  17. ↑ Roberts, Nancy (January 2016). "A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less?". Governance. 29 (1): 140–143. doi:10.1111/gove.12182.
  18. ↑ Argyriades, Demetrios; Kim, Pan Suk (January 2016). "A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less?". Governance. 29 (1): 143–147. doi:10.1111/gove.12183.
  19. ↑ Hawes, Derek (2016). "A Government that worked better and cost less? – Evaluating three decades of reform and change in UK central government" (PDF). Journal of Contemporary European Studies. 24 (3): 439–440. doi:10.1080/14782804.2016.1170383.
  20. ↑ Connell, Andrew (21 November 2016). "Book Review: Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon". Political Studies Review. 15 (1): 143–144. doi:10.1177/1478929916666773.
  21. ↑ Exworthy, Mark (2017). "Book Review: A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less?". Social Policy & Administration. 51 (7): 1505–1506. doi:10.1111/spol.12361.
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