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Abstract

Benchmarking grew out of the concern for measuring performance and quality in the public sector, the latest manifestation of the change that has transformed the way in which the public sector operates. From the TQA movement of the 1980s, benchmarking has emerged in the UK, via the EFQM Excellence Model, as a formidable tool to seek to ascertain and implement best practice. Although originally a model designed for the private sector, the EFQM approach has a highly political aspect to its use and as such must be of legitimate concern for policy theorists. This special edition leads on from a concern with benchmarking to a wider discussion of 'Best Value' and quality issues per se.

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Quality Issues in the Public Sector

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