Gavin Drewry is Professor of Public Administration in the Department of Social Policy, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London. Tony Butcher is Lecturer in Government in the Department of Social Science and Administration, Goldsmith's College, London.

"Drewry and Butcher have written an invaluable guide to the civil service ... Teachers will be profoundly grateful for the thorough descriptive heart of the book." Parliamentary Affairs "An excellent textbook." Public Administration"An up-to-date textbook (which) provides a commentary of recent developments, and on the issues arising from them, that is balanced, acute and succinct." The Times Literary Supplement

• Contents. Acknowledgements.Prologue: Some Crises of the 1980s.1. Charting the Territory.2. How Things Came to Be.3. Some Facts and Figures.4. The Universal Department.5. Recruitment and Training.6. Conditions of Service.7. The Working Context.8. Ministers and Civil Servants.9. The Public Face of Private Government.10. Slimmer and Fitter: the Quest for Efficiency and Effectiveness.11. The Civil Service at the Crossroads?.12. The 'Next Steps' Programme.Notes.Select Bibliography.Index.