Improving the Quality of East and West European Public Services

Publication Date	March 2004
Publisher	Ashgate Publishing
Product Type	Book
Pages	274
ISBN Number	9780754639725
Product Code	ASH00061

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Summary

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of current reforms in public sector quality management in Eastern Europe. Comparisons are made with trends in Western European countries to draw out the lessons emerging from current developments (including e-governance). Case studies from twelve countries and five comparative and conceptual studies identify how quality is put into practice, how the level of quality is assessed through quality accreditation systems and how e-government and citizen involvement may help to improve public service quality. The findings make essential reading for academics and students in public policy and public administration who are interested in modernization of the public sector from an international perspective. It also provides helpful guidance for reformers who want to try new approaches to improving the quality of public services.

Content

Part I: Introduction: The current quality agenda of East and West European public services, Elke Löffler and Mirko Vintar
Aims, approach and structure of the book, Elke Löffler and Mirko Vintar
Part II: Implementing Quality Management in Service Delivery: Early experience with performance management in Hungary, Albania and Georgia: assessing its potential for local service improvement, Katharine Mark and Ritu Nayyar-Stone
The effect of organizational structures and cultures on quality management in Estonian local authorities, Kristiina Tnnisson
Improving the quality of services delivered in Ireland: different approaches to the challenge of change, Peter C
Humphreys
Can teamwork improve public services? An empirical analysis of two Spanish public agencies, Salvador Parrado Dez
Implementing quality management in service delivery: comparing emerging lessons in East and West European countries, Peter C
Humphreys
Part III: The Usefulness of Quality Accreditation Systems for Public Service Improvement: Quality management and the management of quality in European public administrations, Wouter van Dooren, Nick Thijs and Geert Bouckaert
Do Western quality models work in CEE countries? Some insights from the Hungarian perspective, György Jenei and Lszl Gulcsi
Finnish local authorities' experiences with the use of ISO 9000, Salme Sundquist
'ISO 9001 by Decree': the Latvian approach to quality management in the public sector, Iveta Reinholde
Quality assurance of public administration programmes in Poland, Witold Mikulowski
Why do Belgian public agencies use the common assessment framework (CAF)?, Wouter van Dooren and Steven Van de Walle
Measuring local government productivity in a quality-oriented environment: methodology and policy implications in the USA and UK, Arie Halachmi and Tony Bovaird
The usefulness of quality accreditation systems for public service improvement: comparing emerging lessons in East and West European countries, Katarina Staronova and Elke Löffler
Part IV: E-Government and Citizen Engagement as New Approaches to Public Service Quality: The use of ICT in Polish local authorities: improving the quality of local democracy and public services, Marcin Sakowicz
Benchmarking the quality of Slovenian life-event portals, Mirko Vintar, Mateja Kunstelj and Anamarija Leben
A strategic approach to improving service quality without high levels of stakeholder ownership: the case of the City of Tallinn, Viola Rea-Soiver
Citizen and user participation in the UK: experiences and trends, Tony Bovaird and Steve Martin
Improving public services through e-government and citizen engagement: comparing emerging lessons in East and West European countries, Tony Bovaird
Index.