Growing the Productivity of Government Services

Dunleavy and Carrera have performed a difficult, burdensome, original, practical and innovative service to the public sector practitioners and academic observers of public administration and public sector management. This is a book that simply had to be written, but it took a colossal amount of time, effort and experience to do so, and to do it so well. -- LSE Review of Books This is an innovative book that aims to address lacunae in both the public administration and management literature. It is an informed disquisition on how to measure and thence to increase productivity in the delivery of public services. . . . The book is both an original research-based treatise and a practical guide to action. In this reader's eyes it is required reading for both academics and practitioners. . . . Dunleavy and Carrera have performed a difficult, burdensome, original, practical and innovative service to the public sector practitioners and academic observers of public administration and public sector management. This is a book that simply had to be written, but it took a colossal amount of time, effort and experience to do so, and to do it so well. -- LSE Review of Books This is an important book, one that should be read by academics and practitioners alike. . . The authors address what is a central issue both for academic public administration and for the ''real thing''. How can the productivity of governments be improved? Given the large sizes of public sectors throughout the OECD [this question] has become an absolutely vital one. The field of public administration and public policy needs more work like this - academically thorough, yet hard-hitting, policy-relevant and willing to come forward with broad proposals for improving how governments run their (our) affairs. -- Christopher Pollitt, International Review of Administrative Sciences

Patrick Dunleavy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK and Leandro Carrera, Pensions Policy Institute, Kings College, UK

Contents: Preface 1. Introduction: Why has Government Productivity been so Neglected in Economics and Public Management? Part I: Nationally Provided Government Services 2. Studying National Agencies Productivity 3. Rapid Productivity Growth Customs Regulation 4. Growing Productivity Gradually Tax Services 5. How Productivity can Remain Unchanged Despite Major Investments Social Security 6. Broadening the Picture Two National Regulatory Agencies Part II: Analysing Decentralized Government Services 7. Methods and Quality Issues in Analysing Complex and Localized Services 8. Hospital Productivity in Englands National Health Service Part III: Sustainable Increases in Productivity 9. Embracing Digital Change and Enhancing Organizational Learning 10. Pushing through to Productivity Advances References Index