Policy Alienation and the Power of Professionals: Confronting New Policies - Hardcover

Tummers, Lars

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 178195402X ISBN 13: 9781781954027

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2013

Synopsis

Professionals often have problems with governmental policies they have to implement. This ranges from Israeli teachers striking against school reforms, via British civil servants quitting their jobs as they have problems with New Public Management reforms focused on cost cutting, to US healthcare professionals feeling overwhelmed by a constant flow of policy changes, resulting in tensions, conflicts, and burn-outs.

This eloquent book by Lars Tummers develops a framework to understand these important issues with policy implementation, using the innovative concept of 'policy alienation'. Policies in healthcare, social security, and education are analyzed. The conclusions challenge the common assertions regarding the reasons why professionals resist policies. For instance, the impact of professional influence, often viewed as an end in itself, is nuanced. Lars Tummers reveals that it is far more important for professionals that a policy is meaningful for society and for their clients, than they have an influence in its shaping.

Policy Alienation and the Power of Professionals is essential for public administration scholars, policymakers, change managers and professionals. To improve its academic and practical significance, a 'policy alienation' questionnaire is developed to measure the degree of policy alienation felt by implementers. This instrument can be used to first understand and then improve policy performance in various settings.

About this title

About the Author

Lars Tummers, Associate Professor, Utrecht University School of Governance, the Netherlands

Edition details

• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178195402X
• ISBN 13: 9781781954027
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208