Title
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Janus-faced reorganization : specialization and coordination in four OECD countries in the period 1980-2005
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Author
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Abstract
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It is believed that the New Public Management (NPM) doctrine resulted in a disaggregation and a suboptimal fragmentation of government in the 1980s and 1990s, which called for a re-strengthening of the coordination capacity through renewed hierarchy-type mechanisms, market-type mechanisms and network-type mechanisms. In order to assess the validity of this assumption, this article identifies the trajectory of specialization and coordination in four countries (New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden, France). The results support the assumption, although different trajectories are discernible. Also, the results point to the renewed emphasis on coordination based on hierarchy, along with markets and networks. Points for practitioners Specialization and integration both can have significant benefits for the functioning of the public sector, but excessive adherence to one or the other produces dysfunctions. There are a range of instruments available to managers for imposing coordination, but these must match the existing organizational cultures and the available resources. The issues of specialization and coordination refer to linkages within the policy cycle as well as the structure of government. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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International review of administrative sciences. - Brussel
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Publication
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Brussel
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2007
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ISSN
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0020-8523
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DOI
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10.1177/0020852307081144
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Volume/pages
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73
:3
(2007)
, p. 325-348
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ISI
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000250622700002
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
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