Transforming the public sector: management consultants as agents of change

PurposeThis paper seeks to analyse the various approaches being used by the public sector across the European Union to tackle undeclared work and to evaluate the direction of change.Design/methodology/approachTo do this, the National Action Plans for Employment 2001 and 2003 (NAPs) and the National Reform Programmes 2005‐2008 (NRPs) are analysed, along with the data collected in international reviews conducted by the European Employment Observatory in Autumn 2004 and the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) in 2005 on undeclared work.FindingsIn parallel with public sector management in other realms, where it is accepted that positive reinforcement of “good” behaviour is more effective at eliciting change than negative reinforcement of “bad” behaviour, the finding is that the public sector in EU member states is moving away from solely a repressive approach that seeks to detect and penalise offenders and towards an approach that also seeks to stimulate good behaviour by rewarding compliance. Until now, however, these positive reinforcement measures appear to remain firmly entrenched in a bureaucratic management approach that uses externally imposed direct control systems to generate reactive behaviours, rather than an internalised post‐bureaucratic approach that seeks to generate constructive pro‐activity and commitment to tax morality on the part of populations.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts to evaluate how public sector management is tackling undeclared work in European member states.

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ON THE QUEST FOR VALUE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

Proceedings of the 7th Business & Management Conference, Budapest ◽

10.20472/bmc.2018.007.006 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Taliento

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Public Sector Management ◽

The Public

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Enchancing Public Accountability and Performance in Nigeria: Periscoping the Impediments and Exploring Imperative Measures

Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review ◽

10.4102/apsdpr.v2i2.54 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 102 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David K. Adejuwon

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Good Governance ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Public Accountability ◽

Public Sector Management ◽

The Public ◽

Effective Performance ◽

Remedial Actions ◽

And Performance ◽

The Military

Over the past decades, accountability and performance have been central in public sector management. Accountability is important for effective performance in the public sector because both elected and non-elected officials need to show the public that they are performing their responsibilities in the best possible way and using the resources provided them effectively and efficiently. This article examines the impediments to public accountability and performance in Nigeria, and recommends remedial actions for effective public accountability and performance in Nigerian public sector management. The article adopts qualitative method in gathering data from various sources. It traced the absence of accountability in public sector management in Nigeria to the incursion of the military into the Nigerian public administration. It shows with relevant examples how the cultureof non-accountability and poor performance has eaten deep into the fabric of the society. It therefore proposes some measures to address the malaise of public accountability and performance in Nigeria. The article contends that unless good governance is in place with public accountability carefully observed, effective public sector performance cannot be realized.

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Management consultants and the United States’ public sector

Business and Politics ◽

10.1515/bap-2013-0001 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 381-399 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Bessma Momani

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Sector ◽

The United States ◽

Public Agencies ◽

The Public ◽

Management Consultants ◽

Management Consultant ◽

The Us ◽

Strategic Advice ◽

Different Levels

Management consultants provide strategic advice to public sector agencies and departments throughout the US, contributing to what some scholars call the “hollowing out of the state.” What ideational frameworks underlie these public -private relationships? Findings from a survey of management consultant show that they believe that they are contracted because they provide knowledge that is unavailable inside the public sector and that their ideas are more innovative. This study helps to explain management consultants’ perceptions of their services contracted by US public sector. By gauging the perspectives of management consultants, this research will potentially help academics and practitioners to better understand public agencies’ contracting of management consultants. This article provides preliminary steps towards better understanding and analyzing the use of management consultants by different levels of the US public sector.

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A relational perspective on public sector leadership and management

The International Journal of Leadership in Public Services ◽

10.1108/ijlps-03-2013-0006 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 4-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Michael Clark ◽

Sally Denham-Vaughan ◽

Marie-Anne Chidiac

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Leadership And Management ◽

Content Type ◽

Public Sector Management ◽

The Public ◽

Relational Perspective ◽

Explicit Consideration ◽

Public Sector Leadership ◽

First Time ◽

Management And Leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss critical perspectives on what has become a dominant approach to public sector management and leadership in England and sets out a new conceptual perspective on leadership to improve this situation, namely a relational one. Design/methodology/approach – A review of key literature on the topics discussed. Findings – A new relational perspective on leadership and management is proposed, along with epistemological, ethical and practical considerations. Research limitations/implications – The paper proposes this new approach to leadership and management in the public sector, but no empirical findings are discussed. Practical implications – The perspective proposes that an explicit consideration of relationships and contextual factors should lie at the heart of leadership and management and all its practice. Originality/value – This is the first time that a relational perspective on public sector management and leadership has been explicated.

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