| abstract: |
The COCOPS project (Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future) seeks to comparatively and quantitatively assess the impact of New Public Management-style (NPM) reforms in European countries, drawing on a team of leading European public administration scholars. This evidence-based project focuses on the national level and the important policy domains of health and employment services, and the utilities of water, energy and transport. It will analyse the impact of reforms in public management and public services that address citizens’ service needs and social cohesion in Europe. Evaluating the extent and consequences of NPM’s alleged fragmenting tendencies and the resulting need for coordination is a key part of assessing these impacts. Subsequently, COCOPS will map and analyse innovative mechanisms in the public sector to improve policy coordination and its associated effects on economic competition, public sector performance, social cohesion and societal outcomes.
The proposed research will contribute to our understanding of the impact of NPM by integrating sectoral and national analyses and to the development of future public sector reform strategies by drawing lessons from past experience, exploring trends and studying emerging public sector coordination practices.
Drawing on existing large-scale datasets and innovative data collection in ten countries, the project intends to provide a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing the European public sector of the future. The empirical investigation will result in a transfer of innovative best practices across European member states and a futures study outlining key scenarios for the public sector of the future. It will contribute to maximal policy learning through the involvement of expert practitioner groups and other key stakeholders. |
