Lawrence R Jones and Fred ThompsonGives a valuable insight into the issues. Although it presents a US perspective, it is relevant to public service managers world-wide. Volume 10 in the series on ‘Research into Public Policy Analysis and Management’.
Published by JAI Press/Ablex Printing. 268 pp. 78.50 US dollars.

A stark warning that the target to put all public services on line by 2005 may be in jeopardy because of a shortage of staff, comes from a survey by the National Computing Centre. The survey found that salaries for IT staff in government are the lowest in the IT profession with the average pay of managers more than 12,000 pounds behind their counterparts in the private sector. 

Tough new powers to withdraw benefits from persistent benefit cheats and investigate fraudsters have been presented to Parliament. The DSS loses at least £2 billion a year through fraud. The Public Accounts Committee estimates that social security fraud is costing the taxpayer up to 4 billion pounds a year.