This edited volume provides a critical and international analysis of the public sector through theoretical debates, empirical issues and regional studies. It begins by reassessing the public choice theoretical paradigm, the implications of New Public Management, the current crisis of democracy and ways of mediating market pressures. It then investigates recent developments in ethics, service provision, industrial relations and the nature of work, before examining critical issues in countries and regions from both the developed and developing world, and reflecting on the way forward.