The comparative analysis of government activity raises many methodological, theoretical and substantive problems. In this volume authors drawn from varied subfields of political science address some of these problems, including: the usefulness of expenditure data, case interdependence, the issue of non-decision, the measurement of the distribution of power through laws, methodological individualism, cultural explanations, politico-economic interactions, the usefulness of textual analysis and issues of accumulation and aggregation.

This book summarises the available OECD and other international data on public sector inputs and processes. It also examines the existing internationally comparable data on outputs and outcomes, and recommends new approaches to measurement.

Focuses on Federal agency competition with private industry.