Crossing Boundaries in Public Management and Policy: The International Experience(Routledge Critical Studies in Public Management)

In the 21st century governments are increasingly focusing on designing ways and means of connecting across boundaries to achieve goals. Whether issues are complex and challenging – climate change, international terrorism, intergenerational poverty– or more straightforward - provision of a single point of entry to government or delivering integrated public services - practitioners and scholars increasingly advocate the use of approaches which require connections across various boundaries, be they organizational, jurisdictional or sectorial. Governments around the world continue to experiment with various approaches but still confront barriers, leading to a general view that there is considerable promise in cross boundary working, but that this is often unfulfilled. This book explores a variety of topics in order to create a rich survey of the international experience of cross-boundary working. The book asks fundamental questions such as: What do we mean by the notion of crossing boundaries? Why has this emerged? What does cross boundary working involve? What are the critical enablers and barriers? By scrutinizing these questions, the contributing authors examine: the promise; the barriers; the enablers; the enduring tensions; and the potential solutions to cross-boundary working. As such, this will be an essential read for all those involved with public administration, management and policy.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Introduction and the Fundamental Questions 1. Crossing Boundaries in Public Management and Policy: An Introduction 2. Crossing Boundaries: The Fundamental Questions in Public Management and Policy Part II: Solutions to Cross-Boundary Dilemmas? 3. The Cross-Organization Collaboration Solution?: Conditions, Roles and Dynamics in New Zealand 4. The Boundary Spanning Solution?: Crossing Boundaries in the United States 5. The Culture Solution?: Culture and Common Purpose in Australia 6. The Structure Solution?: Public Sector Mergers in the United Kingdom 7. The People and Structure Solution?: Collegial Administration in Norway 8. The Performance Target Solution?: Cross-Cutting Public Service Agreements in the United Kingdom 9. The Collaboration Solution?: Factors for Collaborative Success 10. The Soft Power Solution?: Managing without Authority 11. The Diagnostic Solution?: Gauging Readiness for Cross-Boundary Working 12. The Responsiveness Solution?: Embedding Horizontal Governance in Canada Part III: Cases of Crossing Boundaries in Public Management and Policy 13. Children's Services: The Impact of Service Integration in England 14. Education and Employment: Stumbling across Boundaries in the Netherlands 15. Health: Overcoming Service Delivery Gaps in Austria 16. Community Safety: Partnerships across Boundaries in England 17. Airport Enclaves: Bridging Boundary Tensions between Airports and Cities Part IV: Conclusion 17. Crossing Boundaries in Public Management and Policy: Conclusion and Future Issues

About the Author :
Janine O’Flynn is Professor of Public Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia and an adjunct at The Australian and New Zealand School of Government. She examines Public Sector Reform and Relationships and recently published Rethinking Public Services: Managing with External Providers (2012, Palgrave Macmillan) with John Alford Deborah Blackman is Professor of Human Resources Management in the Faculty of Business, Government and Law and the Director of the Graduate Research Office, both at the University of Canberra, Australia. She publishes in the areas of Performance Management, Organizational Learning, Knowledge Management and Organizational Effectiveness in both the private and public sectors John Halligan is Professor of Public Administration at the ANZSOG Institute for Governance, University of Canberra, Australia. His recently published books include Public Sector Governance in Australia (2012, ANU Press) and Performance Management in the Public Sector (2010, Routledge). He is currently working on a comparative analysis of Public Management Reform in four Anglophone countries

Review :
This book’s critical examination of crossing boundaries—organizational, jurisdictional, sectoral, international—is vital reading for those unsatisfied with typical discussions of collaboration and network management. The questions addressed in this volume demonstrate that overcoming such boundaries is the signature governing issue of our time. Michael McGuire, Indiana University, USA A rich and satisfying collection that rewards the continuing policy and scholarly interest in the theory and practice of cross boundary working by drawing on international experiences, detailed cases and innovative methods to offer new insights on fundamental questions. Helen Sullivan, University of Melbourne, Australia This book assembles a diverse and inter-disciplinary set of contributions highlighting the importance of ‘boundaries’ as sites of ambiguity, conflict and potential in the theory and practice of international public policy and management. It represents a valuable and thought-provoking addition to the existing literature on this important subject. Paul Williams, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK