Bovaird, Tony <br/><br/>
Learning from international approaches to Best Value 

 -  2001 
<br/><br/> This article maps the genesis of Best Value from its antecedents in value-for-money approaches in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and in previus UK adminstrations, and probes what this foretells about its likely success. It locates Best Value in the intersection between te New Public Management (NPM) and community and local governance (CLG). The contract culture within NPM has been softened within Best Value, striking a balance between aggressive use of the markedt and new forms of  contracting. At the same time, Best Value overlays requirements for demonstrable performance improvement onto recent CLG moves towards the `enabling authority` and promoting community co-comissioning and user involvement. The article suggests that evidence from other countries may offer imporatant insights into whether the UK Best Value regime will have more productive results than NPM or CLG