Abstract
The principal lesson of this chapter is that politics is the driving force for change, not managerial or technocratic efficiency drivers; managerialism is a tool of control. This has profound consequences for issues of accountability. The chapter focuses on the contours of accountability within the context of the contemporary UK reform agendas through an exploration of the different theoretical perspectives and the use of case studies, considering issues such as blame-gaming, culpability avoidance and how network-based approaches to reform pose difficulties for transparent lines of accountability. It reminds us that states and their public administration systems are comprised of individuals who are also members of institutions. Institutions cannot possess a human personality, but consist of people all with a persona, and it is this that institutions are designed and constructed to influence, to control and to serve, often simultaneously. In this chapter, literature on policy networks and accountability is examined in order to bring such challenges to the fore in the context of public value debates in Britain.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Public Managerment, Governance and Reform in Britain |
| Editors | John Connolly, Arno van der Zwet |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Chapter | 8 |
| Pages | 201-225 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Volume | 1 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-030-55586-3 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-030-55585-6 |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2020 |
Keywords
- Managerial Technocratic efficiency Managerialism Accountability Reform agendas Blame-gaming Culpability avoidance Network-based approaches Transparent Public administration Institutions Policy networks Public value