Quangos, Accountability and Reform : The Politics of Quasi-Government

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. Front Matter....Pages i-x Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Setting the Scene: Quangos in Context....Pages 3-16 Diversity and Complexity: The Quango-Continuum....Pages 17-25 Quangos: Why Do Governments Love Them? ....Pages 26-39 Quangos and Local Democracy....Pages 40-53 Front Matter....Pages 55-55 Quangos in Germany?....Pages 57-71 Quangocratization in the Netherlands....Pages 72-83 Quangos in New Zealand....Pages 84-92 Quangos in Denmark and Scandinavia: Trends, Problems and Perspectives....Pages 93-107 Front Matter....Pages 109-109 The Housing Corporation: Multiple Lines of Accountability....Pages 111-119 Of Ministers, Mandarins and Managers....Pages 120-131 Local Government and the Unelected State....Pages 132-143 Quango Watch — a Local Authority Perspective....Pages 144-151 A National Health Service in Quangoland....Pages 152-161 The Accountability of Training and Enterprise Councils....Pages 162-179 Balancing the Scales — the Growth, Role and Future of the Regulators....Pages 180-190 Reforming the Patronage State....Pages 191-198 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Realizing the Democratic Potential of Quangos....Pages 201-210 Back Matter....Pages 211-215 Quangos are now a permanent layer of governance in Britain. This collection challenges the stale debate which portrays quangos as inherently undemocratic. This book brings together practitioners, politicians and academics to examine both the pitfalls and potential offered by these bodies. This new perspective on the debate 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.

This collection challenges the debate which portrays quangos, now a permanent layer of governance in Britain, as inherently undemocratic. Through chapters by practitioners, politicians and academics, the book acknowledges both the pitfalls and potential offered by these bodies, thus illuminating a perspective on the debate which highlights their democratic possibilities. Examining the British reform debate in an international context, theoretical analysis is blended with illuminating case studies from Quango Chief Executives and concrete proposals for reform.