Public Management in Times of Austerity: (Routledge Critical Studies in Public Management)

Since 2008, the world has experienced an enormous decrease of wealth. By many measures the impact of the crisis was severe. The fall in GDP, the collapse of world trade, the rise in unemployment, and the credit slump reached bigger proportions than in any other crisis since World War II. Although the economic figures seem to improve in some countries, the crisis continues being a challenging issue and is said to be one of the most important problems governments face today. The crisis has put public finances under ever increasing pressure, and governments have responded through austerity measures such as new fiscal rules and budgeting procedures and cutbacks of public spending. Public Management in Times of Austerity seeks to explore the austerity policies adopted by European governments and their consequences to public management. It asks how governments have implemented new rules leading to more stringency in public budgeting and financial management, and how they have cut back public expenditure. These questions are examined comparatively through case studies in different parts of Europe, and variations across countries are discussed and explained. Throughout the volume, the consequences of the crisis and austerity policies for public management are discussed. What is the relationship between crisis and decision-making in the public sector, and how does austerity affect public-sector organisation? As the previous crisis in the 1970s resulted in a major reform movement, which was later referred to as New Public Management, Public Management in Times of Austerity look to understand whether the current crisis also leads to a wave of public management reform, and if so what is the content of this?

Table of Contents:
Part 1: Introduction 1. Introduction Eva Moll Ghin and Mads Bøge Kristiansen 2. Public Management in Times of Austerity – The Literature Eva Moll Ghin and Mads Bøge Kristiansen 3. The Five Case Countries Eva Moll Ghin and Mads Bøge Kristiansen Part 2: Cutback Management in Times of Austerity 4. Germany an Outlier in Terms of Fiscal Adjustment Jobst Fiedler, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Lorenz Löffler 5. Italy: A Tale of Path-Dependent Public Sector Shrinkage Fabrizio Di Mascio, Davide Galli, Alessandro Natalini, and Edoardo Ongaro 6. Cutback Management in Denmark Hanne Foss Hansen and Mads Bøge Kristiansen 7. Cutback Management in Ireland in the Wake of the Financial Crisis Muiris MacCarthaigh and Niamh Hardiman 8. Cutback Management in Estonia During the Crisis of 2008-10 and Beyond Riin Savi, Tiina Randma-Liiv, and Ringa Raudla Part 3: Budgetary Reforms in Times of Austerity 9. New Fiscal Rules and Budgetary Reforms Supporting Fiscal Turnaround in Germany Jobst Fiedler and Juliane Sarnes 10. Italy: Centralisation of Budgetary Processes as a Response to the Fiscal Crisis Fabrizio Di Mascio, Alessandro Natalini, Edoardo Ongaro, and Francesco Stolfi 11. Budgetary Reform in Denmark in Times of Austerity Eva Moll Ghin 12. Budgetary and Financial Management Reform in Ireland Muiris MacCarthaigh and Niamh Hardiman 13. Budgeting and Financial Management Reforms in Estonia During the Crisis of 2008-10 and Beyond Ringa Raudla, Tiina Randma-Liiv, and Riin Savi Part 4: Comparative Analysis and Conclusion 14. Comparative Analysis and Conclusion Eva Moll Ghin, Hanne Foss Hansen, and Mads Bøge Kristiansen

About the Author :
Eva Moll Ghin is post doc in public administration at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Hanne Foss Hansen is professor in public administration and organization at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Mads Bøge Kristiansen is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark.