This major new text on the theory and practice of public management moves away from descriptive accounts of its evolution to provide a systematic treatment of the key paradigms of public management today. It examines their competing outlooks, values, tools and assumptions and – using a wide range of examples from different areas of management around the world – their implications for practice.

The text sets out three contrasting 'logics' for management – performance, professionalism and politics – and shows how public managers act on the interplay between these for effective results. Relating all three logics to a wide range of diverse contexts – from police services to healthcare, social services to educational providers – the text shows how managers can simultaneously perform to a high standard, act professionally through their work, and cope with internal and external politics.

Incorporating the latest theories and practices, this comprehensive book will appeal to readers around the world wanting to understand, and contribute to, public management today.