By Bill Jenkinson Public and private organisations have a need to get their message across to customers, but it can be more difficult in the public sector because of limited marketing budgets compared to commercial brands. The author describes how public sector organisations are making progress in cutting through the fragmented media landscape by embracing the customer magazine, which is currently going from strength to strength.

By Brian Sussex Information is power and giving managers a rich picture of what is happening in the organization allows them to use the levers to deliver better results. Children and Young People’s Services in local councils generate vast amounts of data and the author describes how Devon County Council has worked this goldmine of information to bring widespread benefits.

By Haki Kapasi Negative undesigned outcomes are the hazard feared by policy makers and innovators. Those involved in developing a neighbourhood play toolkit to allow children to play without a threat from traffic or harm by strangers did not expect any wider community impact. The author describes how the pilot projects increased social capital by building networks within the community and expanding partnerships.

By Tim Roots The advent of information technology has increased enormously the assets held by schools. Managing these assets to plan for replacement, prevent fraud and renew licences has moved from an occasional chore to a massive undertaking. The author explains how technology can take much of the pain out of asset management.

By Steve Wilcox Almost three out of every five younger working households in London, the South East and the South West of England cannot afford to buy a house at current prices. The author produces a disturbing picture of worsening affordability and shows how the problem can be more acute in rural areas where potential houseowners do not have the option of moving to cheaper areas.

By Janet Grauberg Managing stakeholders is an important function in all areas of the public sector. This article summarises a seminar that considered what could be learnt from private sector models of stakeholder management, and to hear how others had put these lessons into practice. The themes that emerged indicate that stakeholder management has not been universally embraced across the public sector. This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm

By Stephen Scott, Thomas O’Connor and Annabel Futh Children raised in poverty do less well than children raised in more favourable circumstances. Yet if children are brought up with warm, firm, encouraging parenting, the evidence is clear that they can succeed even in these more adverse conditions. For this reason the Government is energetically pursuing the parenting agenda with a range of policy initiatives. The authors describe how their Primary Age Learning Study influenced parents and children.

By Cheryl Miller The party political environment has an enormous impact on managing in government. The author looks at the problems and some solutions across both central and local government. She explores success in a political environment and concludes that local government is out-performing other parts of the public sector because it has got the appropriate balance between the political and managerial leader. This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm

By Michael Orton, Duncan Adam and Rhys Davies. Council tax is under review and the Lyon’s report is due to be published in May 2007. This article provides insights into the impact of the tax on the lower income households who predominate among those who struggle to pay council tax. The authors’ analysis reveals where the tax bites the hardest and leads to conclusions about reshaping future local taxation.

By Faith Boardman When the new chief executive arrived at the London Borough of Lambeth in 2000 she was faced with a mammoth management challenge. The recovery programme was implemented in parallel with the CPA regime. This article examines the contribution made to Lambeth’s progress by the CPA, and it identifies some wider lessons to be learned for the national changes currently being made to inspection regimes. This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm