Strategic Management in the Public Sector

Strategic Management in the Public Sector examines the evolution of strategic management in the public sector, from organisation-centred strategic planning and public value to strategic governance and the strategic state. Now in its second edition, the book substantially broadens the analytical scope of public-sector strategic management through a capability-based perspective that complements established approaches and is used to advance the study of strategic governance and the strategic state.

While providing a comprehensive treatment of established approaches, it also develops a capability-based perspective that explains how governments can pursue long-term direction while remaining adaptive under conditions of complexity, uncertainty and rapid change. Using comparative international evidence, case studies, conceptual frameworks and practical applications, the book explores strategic thinking, strategic inquiry, public value, legitimacy, collaborative governance, strategic policy, policy learning, whole-of-government coordination and whole-of-society approaches to governance. Readers will gain a rigorous introduction to the theory of public-sector strategic management together with practical frameworks for analysis. Chapters combine theory with comparative evidence, real-world examples, practical exercises and discussion questions.

The book is suitable for postgraduate students of public administration, public policy, and public management. It will also be valuable to academics, researchers, civil servants, policy advisers and public-sector leaders seeking a deeper understanding of contemporary strategic management and public governance.