Since the turn of the century, there has been a renewed interest in the classic theme of professionalism, with particular emphasis on public professionalism. Growing public and political concerns over the state of public service delivery – whether in policing, health care, education or welfare – have fueled debates about the pressures professionals face and the problems with professional service delivery that are the result of these pressures. Professionals, it is argued, face the burdens of businesslike managers, experience a lack of occupational recognition, are subjected to excessive monitoring and accountability demands, and have lost their professional autonomies. Generally, this worrisome state is linked to the rise of managerialism. The increasing reliance on businesslike management and performance measurement in public domains has harmed professional practices and values. Although many academics sketch refined pictures of pressured professionals, many of them reiterate worries and many also blame managerialism.

This book goes beyond worries and explanations that focus on such managerialism alone. On the basis of theoretical and empirical insights into sectors like health care, social welfare, education and policing, the authors show that professional work is not always burdened, that professionals have great leeway in coping with change, and that changes come from much more than mere managerialism. Changes in and around public services are induced by societal changes – new technologies, ICT, complex problems, distributed knowledge, demanding citizens. The extent to which they affect professional practices depends on the policy sector and organizations, and on the abilities of professionals to cope with pressures. Therefore, instead of getting rid of manageralism in order to restore public professionalism, this book stresses the importance of the reconfiguration of public professionalism. Contemporary service delivery calls for new professional skills and standards in order to maintain certain occupational autonomies and values, but at the same time modernize professional ways of working.

The book is the result of the Dutch collaborative research colloquium ‘Professionals under pressure’ (PuP) – started in 2006 and relabeled in 2012 ‘Reframing Public Professionalism’ (RPP) – linked to research networks and projects abroad. It brings together Dutch scholars, who often also participate in international networks on professionalism, health care, education, and social work.