The New Bureaucracy: Quality Assurance and Its CriticsThere has already been much discussion and critique of the New Public Management, and the impact of auditing and inspection on professional work in schools, hospitals, local government and the police. This study, by a qualitative sociologist, uses interpretive methods to examine this new form of regulation from the inside. Based on interviews with inspectors, quality assurance managers, and auditors, as well as with professionals struggling with red tape, it offers a critical and insightful account of organisational change. The author includes vivid accounts of how quality assurance procedures and systems work in practice, conveying a sense of what is practically involved in the work of counting, measuring and managing quality, and the everyday frustrations of professionals dealing with ever-increasing amounts of paper work and red tape. This book should be essential reading for anyone concerned about the rise of this new bureaucracy and the contemporary state of the professions. It is intended to support courses on quality assurance and the New Public Management in public administration and management. It also provides an accessible introduction for students in socio-legal studies, sociology and social policy about the effects of neo-liberalism on public sector work. |
Contents
three Professionals and quality | 35 |
four Audit and inspection | 59 |
five Organisations and accountability | 93 |
six The problem of red tape | 119 |
seven Critical responses | 151 |
learning to live with regulation | 175 |
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Common terms and phrases
academic accountability achieved activities administrative agencies American areas argued argument assessment auditing become believe Britain British bureaucracy central chapter client complain concerned conducted considers continuous course created critical departments described developed discussion doctors documents economic effectively established evidence example experience fact forms give going groups happens higher hospitals improvement industry initiatives inspection inspectorates institutions interesting internal interviews involved issues judgement lawyers lecturers London looking Marxism measure meetings movement noted objective obtain occupations Office organisations performance period perspective police police force political possible Power practice Press problems procedures produce professionals professions public sector public services quality assurance question red tape reduce reform regulation reports responsible result schools social society sociological staff standards studies successful suggested understand United universities Value writing