Delivering Public Services in Western Europe: Sharing Western European Experience of Para-Government Organization.

Liberal democracies have begun to use organizations other than classic public bureaucracies to provide public services. This highly original work is the first to provide a comparative analysis of such organizations in Western Europe. It examines parallels between para-government organizations at the national level, and similar organizations at the municipal and transnational level. It offers a theoretical rationale for para-government organizations in terms of transactional analysis. Why have modern governments adopted such a model of delivering services? What are the problems, limits, and possibilities of providing services thorough this form of organization? What are the similarities and differences in the use of such organizations within Western Europe? Are there parallels between the growth of para-government organizations at the national level and similar developments at both the municipal and transnational levels? This important volume draws on studies of six countries, four cities, and three kinds of transnational organizations to answer these questions. Essential reading for scholars and students of comparative politics, public administration, and Western Europe. A comprehensive and well-structured book. --Political Studies