THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE CURRENT TERMINOLOGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS, AND ADVANCES ARGUMENTS FOR A PARTICULAR WAY OF LOOKING AT INSTITUTIONS AND AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH TO POLITICAL SCIENCE. INSTITUTIONS ARE OFTEN STUDIED AS IF THEY WERE A FORM OF PRACTICE. THE SUGGESTION HERE IS TO SEE THEM AS CONSTRUCTS WITH A PURPOSE, IDEAS ABOUT GOVERNMENT TRANSLATED INTO FORMAL ARRANGEMENTS.
Originally published in 1975, this book advocates a certain approach to the study of government: the focus should be institutional, the method comparative and the level practical. The book divides into 2 sections on political science and public administration but the themes are common, as is much of the subject matter. Chapters on the institutional and comparative approach are intended to show how political institutions are often designed to reflect political theories, how institutional engineering may take place and how lessons for domestic reform may be learnt from foreign experience. The second section looks at the state of public administration studies in Britain, the nature of the subject, drawing on the work of earlier theorists, the role of the universities and the civic contribution such study can make
Originally published in 1968, this book provides surveys of the Australian, French, German, Swedish and American systems of public administration. Previously unpublished material on the professional classes in Britain was made available which filled a gap in the (then) available textbooks on British government. A concluding chapter deals with the wider aspects of the generalist versus specialist problem, an original contribution to administrative theory. The book will be of interest to students of politics and government and the student of comparative administration, as well as to those concerned with civil service reform
The problems of inflation, unemployment and economic stagnation are shared by all industrialised countries, but government response to them varies from state to state. This book, originally published in 1984, examines the effect of the recession of the 1980s on policy-making and policy content in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. The author identifies the particular problems that face each country and explains why certain policies were adopted and how recession influenced policy-making. Through comparative analysis, the book shows how each government's policy-making processes responded to the economic and social pressures created by a crisis in the world economy
AbstractThe debate over public service reform is taking place at a time of flux when old models are being challenged everywhere. This article discusses issues of institutional transfer, as between western and east and central Europe, relative to civil service reform and democratisation. It presents several models to describe the place of the civil service in the democratic state and the implications of each for civil service organisation. It argues for a better balance between a legal approach, which tends to dominate advice coming from some continental European countries, and one which emphasises 'good' rather than just 'correct' relations between administration and citizens. This distinction is fundamental in so far as, under the UK Citizens Charter for example, the citizen is seen as a 'customer' rather than a mere 'user' of services he has no influence over. The article concludes that, given the differences in culture, political climate and economic situation of 'recipient' countries in east and central Europe, each must search for its own reforms, looking for questions rather than answers.
