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Public Contracts as Accountability Mechanisms: Assuring quality in public health care in England and Wales

Pauline Allen, David Hughes, Peter Vincent-Jones, Christina Petsoulas, Shane Doheny, Jennifer A. Roberts

Public Management Review, Volume: 18, Issue: 1, Pages: 20 - 39

Swansea University Author: David Hughes

Abstract

Public sector contracts are designed to strengthen the accountability of service providers to their funders. It is claimed that quality is improved by the use of mechanisms such as service specifications, monitoring of performance and imposition of contractual sanctions. However, socio-legal and eco...

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Published in: Public Management Review
ISSN: 1471-9037 1471-9045
Published: 2016
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18523
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Abstract: Public sector contracts are designed to strengthen the accountability of service providers to their funders. It is claimed that quality is improved by the use of mechanisms such as service specifications, monitoring of performance and imposition of contractual sanctions. However, socio-legal and economic theories of contracting suggest that it will be difficult to write and enforce contracts to achieve this. This paper reports the results of a study of National Health Services contracting in England and Wales that suggests that contracts in themselves will not improve accountability – collibration of overlapping modes of regulation, including hierarchical governance via performance targets, is required.
Item Description: Based on SDO project.
Keywords: NHS contracts, accountability, England, Wales
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Issue: 1
Start Page: 20
End Page: 39