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From Competition to Collaboration in Public Service Delivery: A New Agenda for Research
Author(s) -
Entwistle Tom,
Martin Steve
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/j.0033-3298.2005.00446.x
Subject(s) - competition (biology) , government (linguistics) , service delivery framework , public relations , public sector , public service , service (business) , business , public administration , marketing , public policy , economics , industrial organization , political science , economic growth , economy , ecology , biology , philosophy , linguistics
Competition was one of the guiding threads of public policy under the Conservative Governments of the 1980s and 1990s. But whereas the Conservatives looked to the market primarily for the disciplining and economizing effects of competition, the Labour Government sees the market as a source of innovation and improvement. Following a brief description of these different perspectives, this paper identifies three avenues deserving of further inquiry: the costs and benefits of high trust interorganizational relationships; the way in which partnerships combine the competencies of different sectors; and finally, the extent to which the new partnerships transform public service delivery.