ABSTRACT
New Public Management (NPM) has enjoyed centre stage within the UK public services for well over a decade. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book contends that not only is NPM manifested in a variety of guises but also, its form varies across sectors. It suggests that schools were less directly affected by the introduction of the quasi-market than were hospitals, even if the rhetoric was similar. After a detailed and theoretical analysis of NPM and the public sector professions, the book deals with the characteristics of the NPM movement: variation; variability; contestability. It then discusses original research that demonstrates the variations of NPM and its implications within just one sector, the National Health Service (NHS). Issues of adaptation, negotiation and struggle with NPM are examined. Finally, the book provides an overall assessment, setting out a 'score card' for NPM.
