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THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE: MANAGEMENT TEXTS IN ENGLISH HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS
Author(s) -
FERLIE EWAN,
LEDGER JEAN,
DOPSON SUE,
FISCHER MICHAEL D.,
FITZGERALD LOUISE,
MCGIVERN GERRY,
BENNETT CHRIS
Publication year - 2016
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/padm.12221
Subject(s) - nexus (standard) , agency (philosophy) , politics , macro , perspective (graphical) , field (mathematics) , health care , public healthcare , new public management , public sector , public relations , business , political science , knowledge management , sociology , economics , social science , economy , economic growth , computer science , programming language , mathematics , artificial intelligence , pure mathematics , law , embedded system
Have generic management texts and associated knowledges now extensively diffused into public services organizations? If so, why? Our empirical study of English healthcare organizations detects an extensive presence of such texts. We argue that their ready diffusion relates to two macro‐level forces: (i) the influence of the underlying political economy of public services reform and (ii) a strongly developed business school/management consulting knowledge nexus. This macro perspective theoretically complements existing explanations from the meso or middle level of analysis which examine diffusion processes within the public services field, and also more micro literature which focuses on agency from individual knowledge leaders.