Decentralise authority and let managers manage' has been an almost universal message in UK public services over the last 15 years. But does it really work? Drawing on their own - and a wide range of other research - the authors show that behind the ministerial rhetoric the experiences of NHS trusts, grant maintained schools and housing associations were in practice distinctly mixed. The book offers a sophisticated theoretical analysis of the origins and results of decentralised public management in the UK.

CHRISTOPHER POLLITT is Professor of Government and Co-Director of the Centre for the Evaluation of Public Policy and Practice, Brunel University. JOHNSTON BIRCHALL is Lecturer in Government, Brunel University. He has published extensively on housing policy and the Co-operative movement. KEITH PUTMAN is a Research Assistant and school teacher.