The public sector continues to play a strategic role across the world. The last thirty years have seen major shifts in approaches to public sector management in many countries. There is also a fierce debate across academic disciplines about contemporary public administration/management: some advocate the use of more managerialist approaches; while others see managerialism as undermining democratic institutions. New roles have arisen, such as programme evaluation, management consulting, and reliance on NGOs and partnerships, which require new assessments. There is an intensified need for an analysis of contemporary public sector organisations, which are changing rapidly before our eyes. It is thus time for an authoritative treatment of the major trends in public management, embracing both their intended and unintended consequences. This Handbook brings together leading international scholars to comment on key current issues. The individual chapters include broad overviews, in depth explorations of particular thematic areas and analyses of different theoretical perspectives such as political science, management, sociology and economics. The authors have space to develop their distinctive arguments. The editors provide an overall concluding chapter. The Handbook combines scholarly rigour, engaging writing and high policy relevance. It will be invaluable to advanced students, researchers and reflective public sector practitioners.

Ewan Ferlie has previously worked at the Personal Social Services Research Unit, University of Kent (1979-1986) and then the Centre for Corporate Strategy and Change, Warwick Business School (1986-1997), University of Warwick. He was awarded a personal chair there in 1996. Between 1997 and 2003, he was a Professor at Imperial College Business School, London, and joined the School of Management, Royal Holloway University of London as Professor and Head of Department in autumn 2003. He is also Director of the Centre of Public Services Organisations there. He has also been a non executive member on Warwickshire Health Authority.
Laurence E. Lynn Jr. graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, after which he undertook doctoral study at Yale University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in economics, and a stint in the U.S. Army, Lynn held various policy making and budgeting positions in the U.S. Federal Government, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Director of Program Analysis at the National Security Council, Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and Assistant Secretary of Interior. His academic career has included positions at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, where he is the Sydney Stein, Jr. Professor of Public Management Emeritus.
Christopher Pollitt began his working life as a civil servant in Whitehall, where he worked in policy divisions and as a private secretary to two ministers. Subsequently pursued an academic career, including periods at the Open University (1975-1990) and as Head of Department and Dean at Brunel University, West London (1990-1999). He is now BOF/ZAP Research Professor of Public Management at the Public Management Institute of the University of Leuven. Pollitt has also served as Editor of the international journal Public Administration (1980-1989), President of the European Evaluation Society (1996-98) and Scientific Director of the Netherlands Institute of Government (since 2004). He has carried out consultancy and advice work for many governmental organizations, including the European Commission, the OECD and the World Bank. His special research interests lie in comparative public management and in programme evaluation and performance audit.