000			01640pab a2200181 454500
008			180718b2001 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aChalmers, Jim
245			_aRediscovering implementation: public sector contracting and human services
260			_c2001
300			_ap.74-85
362			_aJun
520			_aThere is vast literature on how to implement public policies, with endless case studies emphasising a few key lessons. The drive to contracting in the public sector raises familiar threats to coherent program implementation, and adds those of control and incentives. Contracting fragments program responsibility among multiple contractors, and separates policy agencies from service delivery contractors. It raises questions about political control and accountability, and the prospect of gaps betwen intention and outcome. This paper `rediscovers implementation' by reviewing the practical difficulties of constructing public-private relationships which can deliver quality human services. After considering broad arguments about the efficacy of contracting, the paper turns to the provision of human services by examining the contracting out of welfare services and the Job Network. Our argument is modest: that public sector contracting fails if the challenges of implementation are not addressed explicitly, since service delivery through the private sector can falter for exactly the same reasons as traditional public bureaucracies. - Reproduced
650			_aPublic sector
650			_aPublic utilities
700			_aDavid, Glyn
773			_aAustralian Journal of Public Administration
909			_a49855
999			_c49855 _d49855