Local government modernisation:UK and comparative analysis from an organizational perspective

This article analyses three strands of local government modernization. The first takes an overview of the development of 'modernization' and 'improvement' of local government in the UK under the Labour government since 1997 and the overall programme of reform. We discuss both the shifts and the continuities with the previous decade and a half of the 'new public management' of Conservative administrations. We examine the implicit assumptions about how to achieve organizational and cultural change, arguing that much modernization is premised on a mechanistic metaphor of organizational change. The second section of the article examines other metaphors and theories of organizational change, arguing for the need to consider institutional and organizational perspectives in analysing local government modernization. The third section of the article then applies some organizational concepts to the comparative analysis of local government modernization.

Introduction to performance improvement management software (PIM-DEA)

This chapter provides information on the use of Performance Improvement Management Software (PIMDEA). This advanced DEA software enables users to make the best possible analysis of the data, using the latest theoretical developments in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). PIM-DEA software gives full capacity to assess efficiency and productivity, set targets, identify benchmarks, and much more, allowing users to truly manage the performance of organizational units. PIM-DEA is easy to use and powerful, and it has an extensive range of the most up-to-date DEA models and which can handle large sets of data.