, and points to the importance of acknowledging the nature and root of inequalities (as issues of redistribution or recognition) for identifying how specific inequalities can best be addressed. Equality can refer to equality between groups, which are constructed based on one shared feature, or take an intersectional perspective, aiming to address the multifaceted and complex nature of inequality. Turning to public services and their linkage to equality, this chapter highlights the importance of considering also (implicit) access requirements, the service and the
Dive inside this textbook for an accessible guide to the discipline of public services.
Perfect for students, it offers a comprehensive account of core public service topics and explains the fundamental elements of working in the public services. Outlining their role in the welfare state, it explores the policies, providers and legalities shaping the context in which public services operate.
Students will study concepts of organisational change, strategy, management, leadership and funding, and engage with timely discussions around contemporary public issues such as equality, sustainability and climate change. Key features to support student learning include:
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objectives at the beginning of each chapter;
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case studies and examples;
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end of chapter summaries;
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reflective questions;
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further reading recommendations and resources.
Chapter objectives Policies are targeted plans or courses of action which are devised, installed and carried out to resolve a specific issue. Public policies are those policies devised and adopted by public actors. This chapter explores the policy process with a particular focus on policy implementation. It shows that public policies shape public services, their goals, delivery and organisation. This chapter furthermore shows how public services shape policy outcomes. Public services, and those working within them, are essential agents for the implementation
Be it in France, Greece, Canada, Germany or the UK, emergency ambulances ensure that treatment is quickly available in case of medical emergencies. Publicly provided institutions offer education and the opportunity to learn to everybody. Firefighters respond to crises. Refuse is collected. Youth workers support young people. Public transport opens opportunities to get from one place to another. While these services and their activities and functions differ strongly, all these services can be considered public services. All of these services fulfil essential
Chapter objectives From the extinction of species and the loss of biodiversity to climate change, a growing scientific consensus exists that, as a direct result of human activity, the ecological systems which support life on earth are threatened with potentially irreparable and catastrophic damage. This chapter explores this environmental crisis and shows that it affects public services in two ways. First, it impacts the human individuals and communities that public services serve and modifies the conditions under which public services are delivered, and
Chapter objectives The idea of sustainability is becoming increasingly widespread. This chapter explores sustainability and its importance for public services. It shows that while sustainability was initially confined to a narrow understanding that focused on environmental considerations only, today it is commonly understood as a multifaceted concept that encompasses economic, social and environmental considerations. The relationship between these three aspects is thereby not without challenges. Against the background of increasing concerns about the
1 1 Creating democratic public services There is a danger that the constitutional, legal, cultural and leadership factors, which together create what is important and distinctive about public services, are not reflected on, or are dismissed as the bureaucratic problem which must be ‘reformed.’ (Matheson, 2002) This book provides a set of ideas which aim to contribute to the creation of democratic public services that value service users and public service professionals so that they support and complement each and are not set against each other. It will aim
Introduction In the 30 years since Perry and Wise (1990) first formalised public service motivation, it has become a dominant concept in public administration. Theoretical and empirical research has grown significantly, with hundreds of articles being published in each of the last few years. Indeed, Gene A Brewer recently suggested that public service motivation research has become a cottage industry, and is one of the ‘hottest topics’ in public administration research ( Brewer, 2019 ). This puts public administration scholarship at odds with wider
