The concept of employability has provided a foundation for much current labour market policy. It has also provided a useful framework for analyzing national and urban labour markets and related policies in a variety of different circumstances both for those in and out of work.The papers in this book help progress the concept of employability, demonstrating the importance of the geographic and spatial context, and showing its flexibility and usefulness as a basis for theory, analysi...

This title was first published in 2000: This volume addresses the prominent role given to institution-building, institutional change and governance in the regional development strategies and policies. The establishment of the Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies, and the arrival of regional development agencies in England highlighted the need to put the initiatives into some context, drawing on experience from across Europe on the critical factors in the determination...

Drawing on studies and expertise from around the world, this book describes the transition from research to policy and covers the pre-requisites to successful new firm formation policies. At a time when a new firm formation is promoted by central and local government, business development agencies and the private sector, this book questions the economic dependence on small firms and explores the relevance of networking, information and advice.

Across Europe, regional development agencies (RDAs) have become a central feature of regional policy, both as innovative policy-makers and as the implementers of programmes and initiatives originating from the national or European level. By drawing on a combination of conceptual reflection, surveys, comparative research, and systematic use of critical case studies, this book provides a new point of reference by identifying key features of the current, and, indeed next, generation of region...

The voluntary nonprofit sector is now involved in all aspects of people's lives. The management of such organizations has never been of more interest than it is now, and the sector as a whole is in a period of great change. Well-meaning amateurs are being replaced by highly committed and professional leaders, and one in every six employees in the service sector is now working in the voluntary sector. In this shifting climate, this enlightening book questions whether voluntary organizations...

How can we ensure high-quality public services such as health care and education? Governments spend huge amounts of public money on public services such as health, education, and social care, and yet the services that are actually delivered are often low quality, inefficiently run, unresponsive to their users, and inequitable in their distribution. In this book, Julian Le Grand argues that the best solution is to offer choice to users and to encourage competition among providers. Le Grand ...

Understanding how public policy is made and managed is a key component in studying the disciplines of public management and administration. Such are the complexities associated with this topic, a deeper understanding is vital to ensure that practising public managers excel in their roles.This textbook synthesizes the key theories, providing a contemporary understanding of public policy and how it relates to private and other sectors. It integrates this with the management and imple...

*Shortlisted in the Management and Leadership Textbook Category at CMI Management Book of the Year Awards 2017*′In this new, original book, Cecilie Bingham puts fairness, trust, organisational justice, and power at the heart of employment relationships in a variety of settings. This thought-provoking text provides academic, practical and theoretical insights into the contested nature of contemporary work and employment relations at workplace level. It should be...

How is policy made in higher education, particularly in the wake of recent economic turbulence? Has policy development converged internationally, and if so, what impact has this had on academic life and institutions? What role does policy-oriented research play in shaping the direction of higher education? Are universities grappling in common ways with issues of access and equity?Making Policy in Turbulent Times provides a historically informed and nuanced response to thes...

Public-Private partnerships are an increasing aspect of the delivery of public policies and services across the world. This book is the first to draw upon a range of disciplines to offer theoretical perspectives upon their analysis as well as a range of case-studies of their management from around the world. It also offers a number of frameworks fo

The Modernisation of the Public Services and Employee Relations provides an integrated and up-to-date account of changes in work and employment in the public services. The book examines a range of different sectors focusing on core public services, especially local government, the NHS and the civil service.

n the past three decades, numerous high-tech city-regions have emerged with the rise of new high-tech industries across the world. Many of them have been specifically supported by national technology policies—in developed or developing countries—implemented to trigger economic growth and to enhance global competitiveness at the national and/or city-regional level. These policies have involved the development of high-tech spaces—including research science/technology parks, innovation centre...