Civil Service Reform
A Scottish Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12286035 |
|---|---|
| Authors | James Smith (0000-0002-0448-8774, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 20 (First Serie |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 47-67 |
| Publication date | 1997-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scottish Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0966-0356 • E-ISSN: 2053-888X |
| Publisher | Edinburgh University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3366/scot.1997.0036 |
| OpenAlex | W2037411234 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
One of (he most important and far reaching reforms of the British administrative system in the 20th Century has been the introduction of the Next Steps initiative in the civil service. However, very little attempt has been made to look at these changes within the context of Scottish administration. Arguably, it might be suggested that such a task is unccessary if one accepts that the civil service at the Scottish Office is merely an outpost of a greater, homogeneous United Kingdom infrastructure and diverges rarely from the norms of the latter. However, if the contrary view is accepted, namely that Scottish administration possesses some quite distinct traditions and characteristics, then a more thorough examination of the reform process north of the border would seem to be justified. This article undertakes such an examination and does this in a number of ways. On the one hand, attention is focused on some of the key issues arising from Next Steps, issues which have been highlighted in the growing academic literature on the UKwide reform process. Such matters include the dangers of fragmentation of service provision, the appropriateness of target-setting, the effects of change on civil service morale and, in particular, the ambiguities surrounding questions of accountability and autonomy. On the other hand, the scope of reform at the Scottish Office is defined and the agencies associated with the Office are used as a means of illustrating and expanding upon the key issues mentioned above. Much of this latter discussion draws upon information contained in the annual reports of Scottish agencies and a number of other
Accountability · Administration (probate law · Autonomy · Business · Civil service · Context (archaeology · Political science · Public relations · Public service · Scope (computer science · Service (business · Sociology · Healthcare innovation and challenges · History · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research
| Highly cited | No |
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