Public sector management in a period of radical change: 1979–1992

Although the impact upon the public sector of the policy initiatives of the last 13 years is undeniable, it is sometimes hard to see how the initiatives themselves fit together; how the jigsaw pices of enterprise, delegation, deregulation; service quality and the rest form a complete picture ‐ and what that picture means in terms of managing change in the sector. This article maps the main themes of government policy over the period and considers their implications for public sector management.