New Public Management and the Reform of Education : European Lessons for Policy and Practice

New Public Management and the Reform of Education addresses complex and dynamic changes to public services by focusing on new public management as a major shaper and influencer of educational reforms within, between and across European nation states and policy actors. The contributions to the book are diverse and illustrate the impact of NPM locally but also the interplay between local and European policy spheres.

The book offers:

• A critical overview of NPM through an analysis of debates, projects and policy actors
• A detailed examination of NPM within 10 nation states in Europe
• A robust engagement with the national and European features of NPM as a policy strategy

The book actively contributes to debates and analysis within critical policy studies about the impact and resilience of NPM, and how through a study of educational reforms in a range of political systems with different traditions and purposes a more nuanced and complex picture of NPM can be built.

As such the book not only speaks to educational researchers and professionals within Europe but also to policymakers, and can inform wider education and policy communities internationally.

Helen M. Gunter is Professor of Education Policy in The Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, UK.

Emiliano Grimaldi is Lecturer in Sociology in the Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.

David Hall is Professor of Education Policy in The Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, UK.

Roberto Serpieri is Professor of Sociology of Education in the Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.