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Through comparative analysis this book examines and explains the official rhetoric of agency reform across consensus and adversarial political cultures. It traces the trajectory of talk about agency reform in The Netherlands, Sweden and Australia and identifies the national styles of speaking that mediated the agency idea.

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PART I: SETTING THE SCENE Translating Agency Reform Agency reform: Tracing a public management fashion PART II: THEORY AND TALK Theoretical Conceptual Tools: rhetoric and culture The Trajectory of Agency Talk Across The Netherlands, Sweden and Australia PART III: COMPARING AND EXPLAINING AGENCY TALK Comparing Official Agency Talk: National styles of speaking and the role of cultural context? The Role of Culturally Flavoured Stories and Their National Translations Conclusion

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AMANDA SMULLEN is Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Management, Department of Politics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She is co-author of Agencies: How Governments Do Things Through Semi-Autonomous Organizations and has published in various journals including Public Administration, Comparative Policy Analysis and Critical Policy Analysis.

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