Many government bodies relate to each other through 'contracts'. But these contracts are not, in general, regulated or enforced by the law. Drawing on the results of a case-study of NHS contracts, this book identifies significant problems faced by the parties to internal government contracts, many of which stem from the lack of legal regulation. This study uses a novel public law analysis to suggest ways of making internal contracts work more fairly and effectively.

• 1: Government by Contract


• 2: Internal Government by Contract


• 3: Controversies and Reform


• 4: Accountability Mechanisms


• 5: Accountability Analysis in Practice: NHS Contracts


• 6: Fitting In: Interactions between Contracts and other Accountability Mechanisms


• 7: Getting On: Accountability Relationships and Procedural Fairness


• 8: Winning Out: Making the Accountability Process Effective


• 9: Conclusions and Prospects

Anne Davies is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford