Politicians and Public Sector Reform: How to Balance Political Control
and Management Consequences
Tom Christensen, University of Oslo
John Halligan, University of Canberra
A major challenge of public sector reform is achieving an appropriate
balance between political direction and management. The political
executive may assert its role while running the risk of politicisation,
but management reforms can also undermine political control. The
nature of these processes varies among countries according to
environmental pressures, cultural traditions and type of polity.
Attempts to roll back the state, reduce central overload and improve
efficiency can impact on politicians in unanticipated ways, producing
changes to their roles and public legitimacy, and possibly leaving
them with formal responsibility but lacking the commensurate influence.
Papers will analyse the processes through which politicians handle
these dilemmas and outcomes in different systems.
