Government Agencies Practices and Lessons from 30 Countries

This book describes and compares how semi-autonomous agencies are created and governed by 30 governments. It leads practitioners and researchers through the crowded world of agencies, describing their tasks, autonomy, control and history. Evidence-based lessons and recommendations are formulated to improve agencification policies in post-NPM times.

KOEN VERHOEST Associate Professor at the Public Management Institute, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He has published on organization and control in the public sector in Governance, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Public Management Review and Organization Studies. His books include Autonomy and Control of State Agencies and The Coordination of Public Sector Organizations. 
SANDRA VAN THIEL Associate Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She has published on semi-autonomous organizations and their relationship with parent ministries, in the Netherlands as well as comparatively. Recent works include New Public Management in Europe: Adapation andAlternatives (together with Christopher Pollitt and Vincent Homburg) and articles in Public Management Review, Public Organization Review and Journal of Public Policy. 
GEERT BOUCKAERT Professor and Director of the Public Management Institute at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He was previously President of the European Group for Public Administration. He publishes widely on performance management in the public sector.
PER LAEGREID Professor at the University of Bergen, Norway. He has published extensively on public sector reform and institutional change from a comparative perspective. His recent books include Organization Theory and the Public Sector, Transcending New Public Management, and Governance of Public Sector Organizations. His latest publications include articles in Public Administration, Public Administration Review, and Governance.
 

PART I: AGENCIFICATION AS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON
Introduction; K.Verhoest& S.Van Thiel
Comparing Agencies across Countries; S.Van Thiel
PART II: AGENCIFICATION IN DIFFERENT POLITICO-ADMINISTRATIVE TRADITIONS
Section 2.1 Agencification in Anglo-American countries
Australia; C.Aulich& R.Wettenhall 
Ireland; M.MacCarthaigh& R.Boyle
New Zealand; R.Gregory
United Kingdom; O.James, A.Moseley, N.Petrovsky& G.Boyne
United States; B.G.Peters
Comparing Agencification in Anglo-American Countries; J.Halligan& O.James
Section 2.2 Agencification in Latin Countries
Belgium; K.Verhoest, S.Demuzere& J.Rommel
France; F.Lafarge
Italy; E.Ongaro, D.Galli, D.Barbieri& P.Fedele
Spain; S.Parrado
Portugal; S.Mendes, P.Gomes & J.F.Araújo
Comparing Agencification in Latin Countries; S.Parrado, E.Ongaro& K.Verhoest
Section 2.3 Agencification in Continental Countries
Austria; G.Hammerschmid, A.Krischok& K.Steigenberger
Germany; T.Bach
Netherlands; K.Yesilkagit& S.Van Thiel
Switzerland; R.Steiner& E.Huber
Comparing Agencification in Continental Countries; T.Bach& E.Huber
Section 2.4 Agencification in Nordic Countries
Denmark; M.B.Hansen& V.N.Andersen
Finland; A.Salminen, O.P.Viinamäki & J.Sokisuu
Norway; P.Lægreid, P.G.Roness& K.Rubecksen
Sweden; B.Niklasson
Comparing Agencification in Nordic Countries; M.B.Hansen, P.Lægreid, J.Pierre& A.Salminen
Section 2.5 Agencification in CEE Countries
Croatia; I.Kopric& A.Musa
Estonia; K.Sarapuu
Hungary; G.Hajnal
Lithuania; V.Nakrosis& Z.Martinaitis
Romania; C.Hintea, A.E.Hudrea& D.O.Balica
Slovakia; J.Nemec
Comparing Agencification in CEE Countries; T.Randma-Liiv, V.Nakrosis& G.Hajnal
Section 2.6 Agencification in Eastern and African Countries
Hong Kong; M.Painter
Israel; D.Levi-Faur& S.Livshitz
Tanzania; A.Sulle
Pakistan; M.Z.I.Jadoon, N.Jabeen & A.Rizwan
Thailand; B.Bowornwathana
Comparing Agencification in Eastern and African Countries; M.Painter
Section 2.7 Agencification at Supranational Level
EU-Level Agencies; E.Ongaro, D.Barbieri, N.Bellé& P.Fedele
PART III: CURRENT CHALLENGES IN AGENCIFICATION IN EUROPE AND BEYOND
Agencification in Europe and Beyond: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward; S.van Thiel, K.Verhoest, G.Bouckaert& P.Laegreid
Endnotes
Bibliography