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By comparing the autonomy, control and internal management of public organizations, this book show how New Public Management doctrines work out in three small European states with different politico-administrative regimes. Using survey data on 226 state agencies, hypotheses drawing on organization theory and neo-institutional schools are tested.

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List of Tables and Figures Notes on the Authors Acknowledgements PART I: INTRODUCTION Central Research Questions and Argument Central Concepts Theoretical Lenses Data and Methods PART II: DESCRIBING AGENCIES AND THEIR CONTEXTS Politico-administrative Regimes in Norway, Ireland and Flanders Agencification in Norway, Ireland and Flanders: History, Reforms and Types PART III: COMPARING STATES Theories on Similarities and Dissimilarities Between States Comparing Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management Between States Explaining Similarities and Dissimilarities in Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management Between States PART IV: COMPARING AGENCIES Theories on Similarities and Dissimilarities Between Agencies Comparing Autonomy and Control of Agencies Comparing Internal Management of Agencies Explaining Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management: The Importance of Agency Level Characteristics and State Level Characteristics Appendix A Distribution on Dependent Variables Appendix B Comparing Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management. The Importance of Agency Characteristics Without and with Controlling for State-level Factors Appendix C List of State Agencies Studied Bibliography

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"This book is a major contribution to the literature on agencification...holds a place among the most important books to appear on agencification this decade...an important, convincing and valuable book."

- West European Politics

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KOEN VERHOEST is Assistant Professor and Research Manager at the Public Management Institute, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

PAUL G. RONESS is Professor at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen, Norway.

BRAM VERSCHUERE is Lecturer in Public Management at University College Ghent, Belgium. He previously worked at the Public Management Institute (KU Leuven).

KRISTIN RUBECKSEN is Research Fellow in the Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen, Norway.

MUIRIS MACCARTHAIGH is Research Officer at the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin, Ireland.

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