The last five years have seen a significant increase in the involvement of the private sector in the core areas of education delivery and not just in the provision of educational support services. This growing involvement of the private sector in education has been commented on in the press and in debates on education, but it is often…

This paper traces the origins of the concept of personalisation in public sector services, and applies it to school education. The original conceptualisation stressed the need for "deep" rather than shallow, personalisation, if radical transformation of services were to be achieved. It is argued that as the concept has been disseminated and…

As part of its agenda to promote choice, diversity and parent power in education, New Labour is aiming to develop a system of independent non-fee paying state schools. It is envisaged that control of the governing arrangements in such schools will shift from the local authority and be delegated to a range of external partners and sponsors drawn…

The capacity of public service staff in developing countries is crucial for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Literature from developed countries shows that, working with higher education institutions (HEIs), industries have improved their human resource capacity through continuing professional development. This paper reports on research…

Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes for American children? That question cannot be answered by looking at domestic evidence alone. Though innumerable "school choice" programs have been implemented around the United States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace. Existing…

Interviews with managers and lecturers at a British further education college that had experienced a change in governance found the rise of a "new managerialism." Lecturers opposed this style and its values, perceiving a threat to the professional culture of further education. (SK)

Public-sector management teams and their counterpart labor unions are faced with an ever-increasing myriad of challenges in the quest to produce collective bargaining agreements. Shrinking tax bases, declining levels of federal and state assistance, and public demands for downsizing and privatization are all factors that suggest that financial…

Consistent differences are identified in the organizational environment and managerial activity of data processing organizations between the public and private sectors. A public organization's environment reflects greater interdependence and accountability, leading to more red tape. (Author)

Examines the employment of minorities and women in individual federal agencies as of September 1988. Focuses on the influence of factors including agency size, union strength, blue collar/clerical employment, and the rate of new hires of Blacks, Hispanics, and women. Finds that contextual variables explain much of the variation in integration.…

The liability of government and nonprofit organizations for failure to train employees has increased. Nonexistent training policies may be seen as deliberate indifference. Public sector administrators should assess the current state of training and establish effective policies. (SK)

A survey of the 50 state personnel directors found that (1) their attitudes and actions reflect a concern for social equity issues; (2) 21 were women and 6 African American; (3) they experience similar role conflicts and tensions as federal civil servants; and (4) state personnel systems are addressing equity issues and benefit flexibility. (SK)

Presents several time-effective classroom games that can be used to help students discover the consequences of two important concepts in public finance: the free rider problem and the voting paradox. Maintains that these games encourage student involvement and stimulate class discussion. (DB)

Describes some of the relatively unknown aspects of the concept of public goods and shows how they might be brought into undergraduate textbooks in microeconomic principles, public finance, and welfare economics. Illustrates how these aspects of public goods can be brought into undergraduate instruction. (DB)

Review of case law in educational administration, hospitals, correctional institutions, and the military shows that, when risk of AIDS transmission is high, courts will support public sector administrators' decisions. Low risk means such decisions as mandatory blood testing will usually be struck down. (SK)

Swedish professionals (n=3,595) ranked their perceptions of healthy work. There was a great discrepancy between the ideal and the real for work intellectuality (stimulus, independence, encouragement of innovation and initiative). The value of work showed more congruence between ideal and real. Lowest-ranked aspects were being well paid and having…