Does sector make a difference : A comparative study of managerialism in secondary and higher education

The public sector has undergone considerable change over the last two decades with massive privatisation and marketisation programmes; governments have focused on economy, efficiency and effectiveness (Pollitt 1993), with the clear intention of forcing public sector management to manage (Colling and Ferner 1995). Emphasis has been placed on the necessity for the control of financial budgets, quality of service and performance. The implementation of such changes has resulted in new managerialism (Pollitt, 1993). By drawing on data from two independent pieces of research, this paper compares and contrasts the introduction of initiatives associated with new managerialism in two related, but diverse public sector settings- institutes of higher education and secondary schools.