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Editorial: Achieving efficiency and effectiveness in challenging times

Approaches to the management of public services (like management practices more generally) exist in a state of constant flux. The cost of public service provision is considerable, and the desire to manage that cost is both practically and politically a significant driver leading to a variety of management and control regimes. The aim of these systems is to ensure that the taxpayer receives the best value for money that can be achieved while delivering an effective service. At a time of expanding public debt, this pressure will not go away—instead it will increase. The result is a motivation for politicians to review the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery and there is an increasing pressure for economy as well. These are themes that Public Money & Management is used to addressing: this themed edition is different in that it brings together a set of articles addressing these concerns using examples from jurisdictions across Europe. It thus offers the opportunity to take a comparative perspective.