Policy Alienation and the Power of Professionals

Book excerpt: ÔTummersÕ book resurfaces alienation as an established and useful concept, but also as a forgotten and ignored reality. Shifts in policies affect the meaning of these policies, and reforms affect power balances. The analyses in this book are crucial to help understand why policies fail and why there is resistance to change. Tummers coins Òpolicy alienationÓ as an increasingly indispensable concept. Reforms would have been different if TummersÕ analysis on powerlessness and meaninglessness was more taken into account.Õ Ð Geert Bouckaert, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium and former President of the European Group for Public Administration ÔLars Tummers has written a must-read book! While systemic changes ushered in by market-oriented reforms have received attention, little is known about the plight of the individual in modern bureaucracies. Tummers presents a masterful and authoritative account of policy alienation that public service professionals experience. The breadth and depth of TummersÕs scholarship is impressive! This book has something of value for everyone from the casual reader to public management scholar.Õ Ð Sanjay K. Pandey, The State University of New Jersey, US ÔWhy do pubic sector professionals resist change? Tummers offers a compelling account of the alienation of professionals following new public management reforms. This timely and methodologically innovative book shows public managers how to implement organisational change, and provides scholars with a set of new measurement scales. Policy Alienation and the Power of Professionals is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how professional organisations operate, and why professionals resist some changes, while embracing others.Õ Ð Steven Van de Walle, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands Professionals often have problems with governmental policies they have to implement. This ranges from Israeli teachers striking against school reforms, via British civil servants quitting their jobs as they have problems with New Public Management reforms focused on cost cutting, to US healthcare professionals feeling overwhelmed by a constant flow of policy changes, resulting in tensions, conflicts, and burn-outs. This eloquent book by Lars Tummers develops a framework to understand these important issues with policy implementation, using the innovative concept of Ôpolicy alienationÕ. Policies in healthcare, social security, and education are analyzed. The conclusions challenge the common assertions regarding the reasons why professionals resist policies. For instance, the impact of professional influence, often viewed as an end in itself, is nuanced. Lars Tummers reveals that it is far more important for professionals that a policy is meaningful for society and for their clients, than they have an influence in its shaping. Policy Alienation and the Power of Professionals is essential for public administration scholars, policymakers, change managers and professionals. To improve its academic and practical significance, a Ôpolicy alienationÕ questionnaire is developed to measure the degree of policy alienation felt by implementers. This instrument can be used to first understand and then improve policy performance in various settings.