Since the 1980s, the public sector throughout the Western industrialized world, the transitional economies of Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and South East Asia has undergone major changes. The main thrust of these changes has been to bring public sector management practices closer to those of the private sector. This raises the question of how far public and private sector management are comparable.

This comprehensive five volume set examines the relationships between public and private sector management in terms of both classical management theory and the new public management that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. While the collection concentrates on articles from the last twenty years, some historical pieces are also included, and a detailed index is also provided. Individual volume introductions as well as a general introduction place the articles in their historical context, making this an invaluable public management reference.

Introduction by: Stephen P. Osborne