Intended as a reference and a text for students and scholars in the academic context and for developers and managers in the realms of politics and planning, this volume offers a truly international set of cases and analyses. The three editors are affiliated as follows: Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko and Pekka Valkama (U. of Tampere, Finland), and Stephen J. Bailey (Glasgow Caledonian U., UK). Contributors are affiliated with academia (in economics, political science, business), business enterprises, and government agencies in the US and in about a half dozen countries in the UK and continental Europe. A sampling of topics addressed in 12 contributions: the evolving governance of public services in England, the flaws in the UK New Labour government's reform of public services, state-level health care reform and innovation in the US (Massachusetts), and the key to Finnish local government service reform. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)