The management of public organisations has undergone considerable change over the past three or four decades as a result of increased pressure on results, greater autonomy in using resources and setting priorities, heightened accountability requirements and interest from citizens and the media in public decisions and action. Management tools-some from the private sector and others developed specifically for the public sector-have been added to the range of instruments available to public

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... s. Among these tools, communication-within organisations, with all the partners, with the community as a whole-plays an important role. Increasingly, those responsible for public action must present the issues involved in public policies, explain decisions that are taken, provide justification for the ensuing measures and respond to the needs of, and requests made by, the beneficiaries of services. A number of factors account for the development of public communication over the past two decades. Among the most important are the following: