Savoie examines the war of bureaucratic reform waged by the leaders of theree major industrial countries. Reagan, Thatcher and Mulroney were equally committed to reform and initiated wide-ranging changes. By the end of the 1990s, the changes were dramatic. Many governments operations had been privatized, and new management techniques had been introduced. Savoie suggests that the reforms overlooked problems now urgently requiring attention and, at the same time, attempted to address non-existent problems. He combines theory and research based on sixty-two interviews, nearly all with members of the executive branch of the governments of Britain, Canada and the United States.

Donald J. Savoie holds a Canada Research Chair in Public Administration and Governance at the Universite de Moncton.