ABSTRACT
Political stakes are high on the front line of public services. Professionals working in sectors such as education, health and social care function as the interface between the public and the public sector, their capacity to fulfi l their duty of care being a key component of modern state legitimacy. The fact that these services occupy the space where public interest meets private concerns means that they represent the state at its most exposed. The success or otherwise of professional practice on the front line has implications for how governments are judged across a range of issues – fi nancial effi ciency, political competence and, not least, the promotion of democratic values.
