2134/26915
Russell J. Glennon
Russell J.
Glennon
Ian Hodgkinson
Ian
Hodgkinson
Jo Knowles
Jo
Knowles
Zoe J. Radnor
Zoe J.
Radnor
Nicola Bateman
Nicola
Bateman
Public sector ‘Modernisation’: examining the impact of a change agenda on local government employees in England
Loughborough University
2017
Modernisation
Change agenda
New public management
Local government
Employees
Economics
Business and Management not elsewhere classified
2017-10-11 12:50:18
Journal contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Public_sector_Modernisation_examining_the_impact_of_a_change_agenda_on_local_government_employees_in_England/9497858
Can public sector reform change service performance for the better? This is a hotly contested debate which carries significant theoretical and practical importance. In England, as in many countries, modernisation was at the heart of local government reform and represented an interpretation of New Public Management into a policy framework. This paper examines the role of the modernisation change agenda in England and what this has subsequently meant for ‘service improvement’. Drawing on both document analyses and qualitative interviews with local government employees, we find that while modernisation sought to establish continuous improvement, unintended consequences of modernisation have led to Staff Reductions, Skill Deficiencies, and Loss of a Competent Middle Core in local government, as well as performance outcomes creating an environment for Commissioning, Service Reduction, and Self-Policing. Implications for the lasting roles and behaviours of public managers affected by this national change agenda are discussed, and conclusions for theory and practice are drawn.