MACMILLAN Marketization in Local Government: Diffusion and Evolution in Scandinavia and England

Marketization is one of the most powerful reform doctrines reshaping the organization of public service delivery throughout the last four decades. This book revisits conventional ideas and models of marketization and compares how these have diffused and evolved across municipalities in England and Scandinavia. The book highlights the paths and impacts of marketization as diverse and dynamic and asks us to reconsider what and how we think about marketization. The content of the book is co-authored by researchers from four countries and builds upon comparable surveys and case-studies from two longstanding ‘spearhead’ services – parks and roads – for the implementation of marketization. The book appeals to scholars and policy makers with interests in discussions about the history and future of marketization in an international perspective. From the Back Cover Marketization is one of the most powerful reform doctrines reshaping the organization of public service delivery throughout the last four decades. This book revisits conventional ideas and models of marketization and compares how these have diffused and evolved across municipalities in England and Scandinavia. The book highlights the paths and impacts of marketization as diverse and dynamic and asks us to reconsider what and how we think about marketization. The content of the book is co-authored by researchers from four countries and builds upon comparable surveys and case-studies from two longstanding ‘spearhead’ services – parks and roads – for the implementation of marketization. The book appeals to scholars and policy makers with interests in discussions about the history and future of marketization in an international perspective. Andrej Christian Lindholst is Associate Professor at Department of Political Science at Aalborg University, Denmark. His research focuses on marketization and organizational change in the public sector and implications for management, organization and performance.  Morten Balle Hansen is Professor at Department of Political Science at Aalborg University, Denmark. His research focuses on the management and organization of public sector activities, including diffusion of novel management and leadership models, evaluation and performance management. About the Author Andrej Christian Lindholst is Associate Professor at Department of Political Science at Aalborg University, Denmark. His research focuses on marketization and organizational change in the public sector and implications for management, organization and performance.  Morten Balle Hansen is Professor at Department of Political Science at Aalborg University, Denmark. His research focuses on the management and organization of public sector activities, including diffusion of novel management and leadership models, evaluation and performance management.