Suchergebnisse

This edited collection of essays studies the national experiences of six Western European countries through a number of concrete types of challenges to governance -- ie, the steel industry, health care, finance, & HIV & blood supply -- to determine why some public management policies succeed & others fail. The volume also aims to examine several key issues of public governance, eg, (1) the degree of legitimacy in governance within Western Europe in light of higher expectations from citizens & greater media criticism & (2) success & failure in governance. It also provides a comparative analysis of empirical research of the current beliefs that due to market globalization, individualization, informationization, & Europeanization, governments have lost their ability to govern autonomously. An understanding of the similarities & differences in the natures & results of policy measures to similar problems across countries allows a more systematic study of national policy styles, the influence of EU policy making, & the possibilities of uniting policy styles. L. A. Hoffman

The findings of 24 empirical studies of state performance of six West European countries across four policy sectors -- the steel industry, health care, finance, & HIV & blood supply -- are integrated into a comparative assessment of governance performance of all sectors & nations that were studied. Explanations are difficult, since variance in countries & sectors could raise many questions regarding assessments of the findings, but some preliminary conclusions & generalizations were made. The need to build cooperative & collaborative structures within the public sector & between the public & private sectors was established, with the practice in the Netherlands of consensus building showing the most success. Use of consensus in governing appears quite successful, even when political systems are centralized & hierarchical. The profitability of the study in terms of results & answers to the original questions is addressed. L. A. Hoffman

Seeking to explain the systemic research applied to studying the dynamics of policy success & failure comparatively across sectors & countries, expert contributors study four policy areas -- the steel industry, health care, finance, & HIV & blood supply -- across six European countries -- France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, & Sweden. The study addresses the governance of decline, reform, innovation, & crisis in countries chosen for their differing approaches to governance -- consensual vs imposition relationships & anticipatory & active as opposed to reactive problem solving. Twenty-four case studies explored whether a government accomplished a goal-directed social intervention, adapted programs to changing circumstances, & controlled costs. Specific indicators of political failure or success are identified. A study of each case reveals symmetries or asymmetries in the relationship between programmatic & political success influenced by political structure, political culture, policy frames, governance task, & symbolic potential that forward the study of policy analytic research. 2 Tables, 2 Figures. L. A. Hoffman