Rebecca Boden, Philip Gummett, Deborah Cox and Kate Barker
The technology of so‐called new public management (NPM) in the UK encompasses a broad range of approaches to the reform of public services based loosely around notions of…
Abstract
The technology of so‐called new public management (NPM) in the UK encompasses a broad range of approaches to the reform of public services based loosely around notions of downsizing the State, cost‐cutting, marketisation, competition and emphasis on the reform of accounting within the Government. NPM has been utilised in the reform of the old public sector science and technology laboratories. This paper sets out the reasons why the provision of science and technology services may be a discrete area of public service, not necessarily amenable to NPM. It then charts the development of policy and practice in this area, using actual examples of agencification and privatisation. Finally it offers a tentative evaluation of the manifestations of NPM in this area concentrating on ownership, control and accountability; markets and customers; and financial costs and rewards.
Details
Keywords
Irvine Lapsley and Peter Miller
The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of public sector research in the 1998–2018 period.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of public sector research in the 1998–2018 period.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses the extant literature of this era to study the theorisation of, and the findings of, public sector research.
Findings
This is a vibrant field of a study in a wide range of study settings and with many interdisciplinary studies. The influence of new public management is pervasive over this period. There are numerous instances of innovations in study settings, in key findings and the approach taken by investigators.
Research limitations/implications
This is not a comprehensive review of all literature in this period.
Practical implications
This study also explored the relevance of academic research of this era to policymaking by governments.
Originality/value
This paper offers a distinctive critique of theorisation of public sector accounting research. It reveals the dominant theoretical reference points in use during this period and observes the increasing tendency for theoretical pluralism to investigate complex study settings.