Tom Christensen – författare

The royal sites of Lejre and Gamla Uppsala loom large in Nordic history and folklore, as aristocratic power centres founded by descendants of the gods. With almost no contemporary records from within Scandinavia, the histories of the early Viking Age kings of Denmark and Sweden have largely been shaped by foreign chroniclers and medieval legends – each adding layers of myth and bias. At the same time, scholarly trends in the interpretation of such texts have moved through cycles of source critical emphasis that have spanned the full bandwidth from extreme credulity to the total rejection of any genuine historical content.

This book, and the six-year project of which it is the result, presents a unique Danish-Swedish interdisciplinary collaboration between historians, saga scholars, and archaeologists to explore the roots of Scandinavia's earliest kingdoms. The team of authors examines these elusive records alongside new striking archaeological discoveries at both sites, revealing high-status environments. Is it possible to illuminate the shadows of early Northern history, to attempt a genuine chronicle of the first kingdoms and their peoples? How does the archaeology of what can truly be termed royal palaces compare to the evidence of texts? Deliberately embracing debate without necessarily reaching consensus, the authors present the state of the art in our understanding of the dynasties that would reshape the Northern world.

Sagt om boken"Offentlig sektor står inför stora utmaningar och omfattande omställningsprocesser. Därför är behovet av en lärobok med empiri från svensk offentlig sektor och med en disciplinär anknytning till statsvetenskap särskilt stort. Till skillnad från svensk statsvetenskap har den norska i mycket hög grad utnyttjat organisationsteori i forskning och undervisning. Hur fruktbart det kan vara illustreras av den här spännande läroboken om offentlig organisation och styrning, skriven av fyra framstående norska statsvetare. Boken har förtjänstfullt anpassats till en svensk läsekrets." Rune Premfors, professor i statsvetenskap, Stockholms universitet och föreståndare för Stockholms centrum för forskning om offentlig sektor (Score).

Om författarnaFörfattarna är alla professorer i statsvetenskap vid olika universitet i Norge. Fackgranskning: Anders Ivarsson Westerberg, Södertörn högskola, och Anders Forssell vid Uppsala universitet. Översättning: Anders Ivarsson Westerberg.

Public-sector organizations are fundamentally different from their private-sector counterparts. They are part of the society’s political organizations and are major political actors. They are multifunctional, follow a political leadership and the majority do not operate in an external market. In an era of rapid reform, reorganization and modernization of the public sector, this book offers a timely and illuminating introduction to the public-sector organization that recognizes its unique values, interests, knowledge and power base.

Drawing on both instrumental and institutional perspectives within organization theory, as well as democratic theory and empirical studies of decision-making, the book addresses five central aspects of the public-sector organization:

■ goals, values and motivation

■ leadership and steering

■ reform and change

■ effects, learning and implications

■ understanding and design

The book challenges conventional economic analysis of the public sector, arguing instead for a political-democratic approach and a new prescriptive organization theory. A rich resource of both theory and practice, Organization Theory and the Public Sector: Instrument, Culture and Myth is essential reading for anybody studying the public sector.

This second edition of the book contains a range of new and updated themes, examples and references.

Public-sector organizations are fundamentally different from their private-sector counterparts. They are part of the society’s political organizations and are major political actors. They are multifunctional, follow a political leadership and the majority do not operate in an external market. In an era of rapid reform, reorganization and modernization of the public sector, this book offers a timely and illuminating introduction to the public-sector organization that recognizes its unique values, interests, knowledge and power base.

Drawing on both instrumental and institutional perspectives within organization theory, as well as democratic theory and empirical studies of decision-making, the book addresses five central aspects of the public-sector organization:

■ goals, values and motivation

■ leadership and steering

■ reform and change

■ effects, learning and implications

■ understanding and design

The book challenges conventional economic analysis of the public sector, arguing instead for a political-democratic approach and a new prescriptive organization theory. A rich resource of both theory and practice, Organization Theory and the Public Sector: Instrument, Culture and Myth is essential reading for anybody studying the public sector.

This second edition of the book contains a range of new and updated themes, examples and references.

There is growing concern that welfare states are inefficient, unsustainable and lack popular support. New Public Management reforms affected the balance between managerial and political accountability and disrupted administrative, legal, professional and social accountability, causing confusion as to whom public organizations are really accountable.

The Routledge Handbook to Accountability and Welfare State Reforms in Europe assesses multi-dimensional accountability relations in depth, addressing the dynamic between accountability and reforms. Analyzing how welfare state reforms oriented towards agencification, managerialism and marketization affected existing relationships in services traditionally provided by public institutions, the theoretically informed, empirical chapters provide specific examples of their effect on accountability. Expert contributors explore the relationship between accountability and performance and the impact of reforms on political, administrative, managerial, legal, professional and social accountability. The role of specific actors, such as the media and citizens, on the accountability process addressing issues of blame avoidance, reputation and autonomous agencies is discussed.

Comparative chapters across time, countries, administrative levels and policy areas are included, along with discussions linking accountability with concepts like legitimacy, democracy, coordination and performance. This handbook will be an essential reference tool to those studying European politics and public policy.

There is growing concern that welfare states are inefficient, unsustainable and lack popular support. New Public Management reforms affected the balance between managerial and political accountability and disrupted administrative, legal, professional and social accountability, causing confusion as to whom public organizations are really accountable.

The Routledge Handbook to Accountability and Welfare State Reforms in Europe assesses multi-dimensional accountability relations in depth, addressing the dynamic between accountability and reforms. Analyzing how welfare state reforms oriented towards agencification, managerialism and marketization affected existing relationships in services traditionally provided by public institutions, the theoretically informed, empirical chapters provide specific examples of their effect on accountability. Expert contributors explore the relationship between accountability and performance and the impact of reforms on political, administrative, managerial, legal, professional and social accountability. The role of specific actors, such as the media and citizens, on the accountability process addressing issues of blame avoidance, reputation and autonomous agencies is discussed.

Comparative chapters across time, countries, administrative levels and policy areas are included, along with discussions linking accountability with concepts like legitimacy, democracy, coordination and performance. This handbook will be an essential reference tool to those studying European politics and public policy.