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The paper seeks to apply the theory of the democratic deficit to school‐based management with an emphasis on Australia. This theory was developed to examine managerial restructuring of the Australian Public Service in the 1990s. Given similarities between the use of managerial practices in the public service and government schools, the authors draw on recent literature about school‐based management in Australia and apply the democratic deficit theory to it.

This paper is conceptual in focus. The authors analyse literature in terms of the three components of the democratic deficit – i.e. the weakening of accountability, the denial of the roles and values of public employees, and the emergence of a “hollow state” – and in relation to the application of this theory to the Australian Public Service.

A trend towards the three components of the democratic deficit is evident in Australia although, to date, its emergence has not been as extensive as in the UK. The authors argue that the democratic principles on which public schooling in Australia was founded are being eroded by managerial and market practices.

These findings provide policy makers and practitioners with another way of examining managerial and market understandings of school‐based management and its impact on teachers and on students. It offers suggestions to reorient practices away from those that are exclusively managerial‐based towards those that are public‐sector based.

The value of this paper is that it applies the theory of the democratic deficit to current understandings of school‐based management.

The study contributes to the literature on public value and performance examining politicians’ and managers’ perspectives by investigating the importance they attach to the different facets of performance information (i.e. budgetary, accrual based- and non-financial information (NFI)).

We survey politicians and managers in all Italian municipalities of at least 80,000 inhabitants.

Overall, NFI is more appreciated than financial information (FI). Moreover, budgetary accounting is preferred to accrual accounting. Politicians’ and managers’ preferences are generally aligned.

NFI as a measure of public value is not alternative, but rather complementary, to FI. The latter remains a fundamental element of public sector accounting due to its role in resource allocation and control.

The preference for NFI over FI and of budgetary over accruals accounting suggests that the current predominant emphasis on (accrual-based) financial reporting might be misplaced.

Public value and performance are multi-faceted concepts. They can be captured by different types of information and evaluated according to different criteria, which will also depend on the category of stakeholders or users who assesses public performance. So far, most literature has considered the financial and non-financial facets of performance as virtually separate. Similarly, in the practice, financial management tends to be decoupled from non-financial performance management. However, this research shows that only by considering their joint interactions we can achieve an accurate representation of what public value really is.

The demographic changes taking place within society, accompanied by reduced resources and increased unemployment, are given as the reason why some authorities have developed a new vision of education. Educational change requires a complete review of tasks and functions by authorities. Teamwork is an essential ingredient for effective organisational development, allowing authority to be delegated without releasing central control.

Five questions about the careers service are asked—do we need it, what is its function, what is its role, how can its influence be extended, and where should it be located? Issues raised in the report, “The Management of Change in the Careers Service”, are also raised.

New trends and developments in the management of education are revealed. This article assesses the extent to which the management style of “excellent organisations” can be applied to education authorities.

This paper presents a case study of a management development programme, which adopts a competence‐based approach aimed at middle managers in a further education college. The programme takes place in a context that promotes the concept of general management. However, the programme, in which the general management approach is embedded, is resisted by the participating middle managers, to the extent that the programme “collapses” half way through and is never revived. As the paper suggests, there may be two reasons for this. First, in considering any potential relationship between public and private sectors, a key question is whether generic transfer of managerial ideas and practices from private to the public sector is appropriate. Second, it may be a question of the way in which the programme was implemented and delivered.

Explains the process of strategic management based on the existing literature and fits these concepts within the domain of local government. Develops a tentative model of the development of a strategic process for local government and reviews aspects of current practice. The desire to be more strategic increases as resources get tighter and politicians insist that priorities are met.

This paper seeks to explore the role of public sector accountants in the new millennium. Our contention is that the past (in terms of public sector reforms and ‘traditional’ accounting practices) will strongly influence the public sector accountant in the future. In order to illustrate this, we consider the key reforms which have taken place within the public sector over the last two decades, and the role of the accountant therein. We assess the extent to which these changes will continue to impact the accountant in the future. We also consider that the accountant is constrained by the past, in terms of the continuing dominance of certain accounting practices. The role of the accountant in the new millennium can therefore be seen in terms of both continuity and change.

Reviews the past role of regional health authorities in the the British NHS and gives details of the recent changes to regions associated with the functions and responsibilities paper. Goes on to give details of the research project in which we are currently involved and reports on our interim findings (as of April 1996). In a final discussion section, reflects on those findings in terms of the evolving problems of influence and control in a national service operating in a devolved quasi‐market.

Uses the distinctions Max Weber draws between means and ends of economics and politics in Economy and Society to explore why the discussion of ends may be neglected in current conversations on privatization and reinvention. Includes a discussion of possible relationships between public and private based on Weberian concepts of the life spheres of politics and economics and the contrasting types of status and purposive contracts. Suggests that to increase emphasis on ends, as well as means, public dialogue should focus on giving an account as well as on holding organizations to account. For public management to focus on giving an account, more attention needs to be given to appreciating a public law framework, understanding the relationships in different types of contract, and creating conditions favourable to communicative rationality.