ABSTRACT
The purpose of this collection is twofold. First, to consider various aspects of gender and professional identities in the face of managerial change within the fi eld of welfare provision and social policy. Second, to explore their interrelationships in the governance of public sector organisations. A new public sector managerialism, it has been argued, has had an impact across many parts of the world in recent years (e.g. Hood 1991, 1995), especially in Britain (Clarke and Newman 1997), where England is situated and a number of the authors locate their study. The contributors discuss the impact and implications, particularly in relation to gender, drawing on the disciplines of sociology and social policy from a variety of perspectives and approaches.
