The reform of government: The place of market testing

Abstract

In this article Richard Mottram discusses the impact of general changes in the processes and structures of Government in Britain and beyond. He notes chat the impetus for change has been largely created by the dual pressures of higher customer expectations of service coupled with a resistance to higher taxes. Theses changes have involved a shift of emphasis from the interests of the producers to those of the users, with increased accountability of public servants, and of Government practices in general. I Britain, these broad principles have been embodied in three main initiatives—’Citizen's Charter’, ‘Competing for Quality‘ and ’Next Steps’. The ‘re‐engineering of processes’ to reduce costs, whilst improving quality and output, has been largely achieved through market testing, which involves the introduction of competition between external and in‐house bidders, encouraging higher standards of quality at the most competitive prices. Whilst Mottram notes that this may be initially unsettling for employees, he asserts that these initiatives cannot and should not be avoided for the sake of a quiet life.