New Labour and the civil service - David Richards

This is the first serious study to analyze Labour's approach to the Civil Service. It offers a theoretically engaged, empirically rich analysis drawing from over 300 interviews with key actors to explore the 'New Labour' effect on Whitehall. It considers 1997 transition process and the extent to which reform has improved public service delivery.

DAVID RICHARDS is a Reader in Politics at the University of Sheffield, UK. He has held posts at the Universities of Strathclyde, Birmingham and Liverpool and had a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Sydney. He is the author of various books on British politics and public policy including in this series: Changing Patterns of Governance in the United Kingdom (with David Marsh and Martin J. Smith).

'This text is the first comprehensive assessment of the Labour government's approach to the civil service and is based on an original account of the power relationship between the government, Whitehall and the wider policy community...This is a first-class book that should be of interest to anyone with an academic interest in governance and or British politics. It should have a place in good academic libraries for decades to come.' - Michael Cole, Political Studies Review