ABSTRACT
What, then, can be done to change the end to this story? There are at least three possible responses by professionals in the public sector.
Reacting to and criticizing legislative change:
by tackling it at the level of implementation,
by describing its human costs.
Launching critical attacks upon the very basis of change:
by attacking implementation through quasi-markets and central control;
by pointing out the confusions in the language used;
by pointing out the deficiencies in the economic assumptions underpinning much of the reforms;
by describing the disadvantages of the NPM.
Rethinking the basis of professional practice, and re-engineering this to take account of previous criticisms and future societal developments.
