Rethinking Public Service Delivery: Managing With External Providers

Description

Many public services today are delivered by external service providers such as private firms and voluntary organizations. These new ways of working - including contracting, partnering, client co-production, inter-governmental collaboration and volunteering - pose challenges for public management. This major new text assesses the ways in which public sector organizations can improve their services and outcomes by making full use of the alternative ways of getting things done.

Author description

JOHN ALFORD is Professor of Public Sector Management at the University of Melbourne and at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. JANINE O'FLYNN is Professor of Public Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Table of contents

Introduction Mapping The Changing Shape of Public Service Delivery Benefits and Costs: What Government Organizations Seek From External Providers Motivations and Mechanisms: What External Providers Seek From Government Organizations Outsourcing and Contracting to Other Organizations Partnering and Collaboration with other organizations Calling on Volunteers Regulatees as Contributors to Social Outcomes Clients as Co-producers Managing in Multi-Party Networks of Providers A Contingency Framework for Decisions about Externalization Organizational Capabilities for Managing External Provision Conclusion