Guardians of Public Value

How have well known public organisations become institutions? Guardians of Public Value, edited by Paul ‘t Hart and Lauren Fahy (Utrecht University School of Governance) and Arjen Boin (Leiden University) examines how some organisations rise to prominence and remain in high public esteem through changing and challenging times. This open access book presents worldwide case studies, from the BBC to Doctors Without Borders, from the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra to CERN. This case study format makes this volume ideal for classroom use and practitioners alike. In an era where public institutions are increasingly under threat, this volume also offers concrete lessons for contemporary organisation leaders.

Guardians of Public Value. How Public Organisations Become and Remain Institutions, builds upon the scholarly tradition of institutional scholarship pioneered by Philip Selznick, and highlights common themes in the stories of these highly diverse organizations; demonstrating how leadership, learning, and luck all play a role in becoming and remaining an institution. It narrates the histories of a dozen high-profile pubic organisations from across the world, analyses how over time these organisations have become highly valued 'institutions' and suggests leadership lessons for institution builders. It offers an array of teachable case studies about successful organisations fit for classroom use.

About the editors

Arjen Boin is Professor of Public Institutions and Governance at the Department of Political Science, Leiden University, Netherlands. He has studied all sorts of public institutions, how they are formed, how they function, how they are preserved and how they grow old.

Paul ‘t Hart is Professor of Public Administration at the Utrecht University School of Governance, (USG), Netherlands. Paul currently leads the ERC Advanced Grant programme Successful Public Governance which examines the dynamics and lessons of successful public policies, organisations and collaborations.

Lauren A. Fahy is a PhD candidate at the Utrecht University School of Governance (USG), Netherlands. She studies successful public organisations as part of the Successful Public Governance programme.