Quangos, Accountability and Reform The Politics of Quasi-Government [Hardcover]

Quangos are now a permanent layer of governance in Britain. This collection challenges the stale debate which portrays quangos as inherently undemocratic. Whilst accepting that problems exist this book accepts that quangos are here to stay. Through a collection of chapters by practitioners, politicians and academics it recognises both the pitfalls and potential offered by these bodies. The book therefore illuminates a new perspective on the debate which for the first time highlights the democratic possibilities of quangos. The book advances and clarifies this complex debate by examining the British reform debate in an international context, and blends theoretical analysis with illuminating case studies from Quango Chief Executives and concrete proposals for reform.Foreword; D.Marquand Preface Notes on Contributors PART ONE: HISTORY, PERSPECTIVES AND DEBATE Setting the Scene: Quangos in Context; M.Flinders Diversity and Complexity: the Quango Continuum; M.Flinders and H.McConnel Quangos: Why do Governments Love Them?; M.Flinders Quangos and Local Democracy; G.Stoker PART TWO: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Quangos in Germany?; J.Fiedler Quangos-cratization in the Netherlands; F.L.Leeuw and S.van Thiel Quangos in New Zealand; E.Wistrich Quangos in Denmark and Scandinavia: Trends, Problems and Perspectives; C.Greve PART THREE: THE INSIDER'S VIEW The Housing Corporation: Multiple Lines of Accountability; A.Mayer Of Ministers, Mandarins and Managers; B.Landers Local Government and the Unelected State; A.Purssell Quango Watch: A Local Authority Perspective; A.Peet A National Health Service in Quangoland; P.Baldwin The Accountability of Training and Enterprise Councils; A.Graham Balancing the Scales: The Growth, Role and Future of the Regulators; A.Booker On Patronage and Appointments; T.Wright Conclusion: Realising the Democratic Potential of Quangos; M.Flinders and M.Smith

'The debate about quangos in Britain is curiously unreal, focusing as it has mostly on how mal#+