New public management: a parliamentary perspective

The literatures on public management and on the characteristics of policy instruments have developed independently. The two literatures should, however, be related, given that instruments are rarely capable of being effective in implementing policy without adequate management. Further, public management should be understood in the context of achieving policy goals and hence of a relationship to policy. This article makes a preliminary linkage of those two approaches to policy and administration. It demonstrates that each approach helps to illuminate the other and also helps to understand contemporary reforms in the public sector.

Over the past decades there has been a remarkable paradigm shift in Public Administration. Traditional Public Administration was in dire need for a change of a New Public Administration (NPA) approach in the 1980s. From early 2000s, the NPA began to be subjected to heavy criticism, which influenced public administration to take complete control of different reforms and approaches regardless of their diversity, complexity, hybrid and contradictory situations rather than offering the perfect approach and reform to the public sector. The New Public Management (NPM) and Post-New Public Management (Post-NPM) paradigms emerged in times whereby the NPA was already experiencing a massive deconstruction and reconfiguration of the public sector management. To scan and understand the remarkable paradigm shift in the field and practice of public administration, this study applies both NPM and Post-NMP to examine different views, principles, values and norms, and reform proposals for South African Public Administration. Methodologically, this study used qualitative research methods with the aid of secondary data to evaluate both the NPM and post-NPM paradigms, criticisms, arguments, challenges, and changes in public policy implementations. Recommendations are provided based on the existing challenges confronting the current public administration in South Africa. This study contributes to literature, new policy proposals and research within public administration.

The study focused on the role played by public sector management in South Africa towards the country’s total development and improvement. This article also analyses how through the Whole School Evaluation (WSE) process, the education system in South Africa seeks to ensure that the schooling is effective. This paper examines public management, public administration as well as new public management (NPM). The aim is to illustrate a view of how education fits in the broader public management and how the WSE process assists schooling in South Africa and Mpumalanga in particular. This is to ensure that the schooling is effective and contribute towards service delivery and the country’s overall development and improvement. Furthermore, WSE as a process, is viewed through five of NPM undisputable and debatable characteristics of accountability for performance; performance measurement; performance auditing; policy analysis and evaluation; and strategic planning and management. Public management functions and public management principles are discussed from a point of how the WSE process strives to ensure that it complies with these function and principles, and how this compliance benefit school improvement. This paper came to a number of conclusions regarding education within public management from a WSE perspective. Firstly, education through the external WSE process conforms to this principle of New Public Management in that evaluation is aimed at improving the quality of education. Also, the external WSE, as a process, and education in general, through the NPM principles can be performed within public management. Furthermore, external WSE conforms to public management principles as well as Batho Pele principles.

New Public Management (NPM) formulated the solution to the economic reces-sion experienced in the 1970s as the reduction of the state. With its governance model, New Public Management included global actors and the private sector in public policies. New Public Management has also opened the provision of public services to the private sector. Unlike other public services, education has a differ-ent inclusive socio-cultural role which affects not only the present but also the future. Neoliberal education reforms, which aim to increase the quality of educa-tion, have caused damage to the equal and fair presentation of education and the devaluation of public universities. In this context, the study investigates the global transformation in education based on New Public Management and the impact of education reforms on education. The study introduces the global reform efforts carried out for the privatization of education through countries such as United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and Portugal. By comparing the examples of Türkiye and Germany, the study examines the neoliberal transformation in educa-tion through the parameters of student expectations, social network and employ-ment, quality of education, and accessibility to education through two countries that implement comprehensive neoliberal policies and give limited space to these policies. Cite this article as: Algan, M., & Süslü Kalafat, Ş. (2025). Neoliberal education reforms and the dilemma of equality versus opportunity. Journal of Business Administration and Social Studies, 9, 0028, doi:10.5152/JBASS.2025.25028.

New paradigm that is currently used by the government seems to have led to the modern management approach. The direction and orientation of the State administration system which prioritizes the changes in public services is an emerging paradigm in the 21st century. The role of government in the context of classical administration (Old Public Administration) which is more to manage, control is directly centered on the government monopoly (Rowing), then shifted into the role of nature in the context of controlling the direction (steering) where the public role began to be actively involved. Shift in orientation was constructed in the context of a growing state administration towards the perspective of New Public Management (NPM). Then, development was shifted back to the government's role is to serve the public more, so the paradigm to be serving oriented. This paradigm is formulated as a perspective of the New Public Services (NPS) that are contextually much emphasized the importance of the role of government to direct all forms of execution of state administration tasks in order to realize a public service

The article provides an overview of the evolution of public administration paradigms, focusing on the transition from Classical Public Administration to New Public Management (NPM) and the emergence of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). It discusses how NPM, which originated in the 1980s, sought to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public services by incorporating principles from the private sector. Key features of NPM include decentralization, increased accountability, and a strong emphasis on results and performance metrics. Furthermore, the concept of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) arose as a response to the limitations of privatization policies. PPPs involve collaboration between the public and private sectors to deliver services or implement projects, sharing both risks and responsibilities. The article traces the historical development of PPPs and highlights their widespread adoption in various sectors globally, such as infrastructure, healthcare, and education. By leveraging the strengths of both sectors, PPPs aim to improve service delivery and project implementation, offering a more flexible and innovative approach to public administration. The article underscores the significance of these paradigms in shaping contemporary public administration, illustrating how NPM and PPPs have redefined roles, responsibilities, and methodologies within the field. Overall, it highlights the shift towards more dynamic, flexible, and results-oriented approaches in public sector management, reflecting broader trends in governance and public policy.

This study is relevant because it examines the determinants of corruption in local governments that have a negative impact on the success of sustainable development. This study aims to examine the effect of New Public Management (NPM), as measured by fiscal decentralization, financial reporting quality and independent audits, on the level of corruption. The sample consisted of 433 local governments in Indonesia based on data from 2011–2017. PLS-SEM was used as a data analysis technique. The results test shows that fiscal decentralization positively affects corruption with a path coefficient of 0.19 and a p-value of 0.004. The quality of financial reporting has a negative effect on the level of corruption with a coefficient of –0.26 and a p-value < 0.001. Hypotheses testing results also show that audit finding positively affects corruption with a coefficient of 0.10 and a p-value < 0.10. On the other hand, follow-up audit results have no significant effect on corruption with a p-value > 0.10. This study concludes that the NPM mechanism in the form of fiscal decentralization positively affects corruption. These results imply that fiscal decentralization needs to be balanced with good governance, among others, by increasing the quality of financial reports and independent audits.

Performance management has become a ubiquitous part of public administration thanks to the New Public Management (NPM) reforms, which were introduced in Anglo-Saxon countries at the end of the 20th century and diffused later into different settings (e.g. the EU). It plays a central role in improving public sector management and fixing bureaucratic issues. This entry discusses the key ideas about performance management in public administration. It first demonstrates the background, definition and development of the concept of performance over the last decades. It examines the link between performance and NPM and the debate surrounding its definition and multi-dimensional nature in the public context. It briefly describes three successively evident multidimensional performance measurement frameworks: Inputs- Outputs-Outcomes (IOO), Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Total Quality Management (TQM). The entry also notes the recent studies of identifying new dimensions for measuring performance. The entry concludes with a demonstration of the main challenges to integrating performance into public administration management.

‘Classical’ public administration theories, principles and paradigms continually fascinate scholars given their relevance to government practices especially in Africa. As used here, ‘public administration’ (in lower case) denotes government activities whereas ‘Public Administration’, often associated with Woodrow Wilson’s renowned 1887 essay, refers to the subject matter. However, New Public Management (NPM) dominated Public Administration from the 1970s-1990s when it was replaced by ‘Governance’. This article examines Public Administration theory, practice and related theories and how the centuries-old discipline developed from their introduction, interpretation and application in the public sector during each era. It will conclude that these developments have had mixed consequences for Africa, on which the article focuses, owing largely to the effect of colonialism on the continent’s public administration. Using the selected examples of African countries’ experiences, this article relies on a qualitative and literature analysis of the issues discussed. Africa, like other ‘Third World’ or developing regions, is largely perceived as a consumer of the mostly western-dominated or inclined Public Administration, New Public Management and governance models which it inherited primarily through colonialism. Key words: Public administration theory, new public management, governance, Africa.

This article examines the enactment of new public management (NPM) in public service professional organizations, the nature of professional/managerial subjectivities promoted within the NPM discourse, and the implications for male and female professionals/managers. The article has two aims. First, taking a gender ing organization perspective, it explores the gendered meanings of NPM and the promotion of new professional/managerial subjectivities. Second, focusing on gender in organizations, the article then considers the implications of the enactment of NPM for male and female professionals/managers. The article illustrates the complex, manifold and fluid nature of both the meanings ascribed to NPM and individual responses. It is argued that a gender lens offers a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of NPM enactment and the implications of this for public service professionals/managers are considered.

Managing publicly owned entities using private sector principles, commonly known as New Public Management (NPM), is a widespread reform in Developing Countries. The theoretical and empirical debate on the effect of NPM on the performance of Public entities is still ongoing, yet limited research has been conducted in the water sector in developing countries. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression on 300 observations, the influence of adopting NPM reform dimensions of segregation of functions, managerial autonomy, accountability for results, customer orientation, and market orientation on technical efficiency of urban public water utilities has been addressed. The results indicate a high likelihood of the NPM reform causing a change in the technical efficiency of the Decision-Making Units (DMUs) in National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Uganda though it was not the case for the DMUs of Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (DAWASCO) in Tanzania.

Bureaucratic modernization through implementing New Public Management (NPM) is a key strategy in improving the efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness of public services in Ternate City. This study aims to analyze the bureaucratic transformation efforts of Ternate City with a focus on the implementation of NPM, including technology integration, strengthening public-private collaboration, and indicator-based performance measurement. The city of Ternate was chosen as the object of study because of its strategic position and challenges in managing effective public services. In contrast to previous research that focused on NPM at the national level, this article offers a local perspective by describing specific implementations in Ternate City. The research method involves literature analysis, case studies, as well as data visualization using VOSviewer to identify trends and relationships of NPM-related concepts. The results show that applying NPM principles, such as decentralization, digitization of services, and private sector involvement, has significantly improved public services. For example, initiatives such as digitizing the One-Stop Investment and Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP) and the community-based waste bank program have increased efficiency and community satisfaction. However, challenges such as bureaucratic resistance, digital literacy gaps, and infrastructure limitations still need to be overcome. In conclusion, transforming public services in Ternate City through NPM has yielded positive results, although continuous evaluation and adaptation are needed to ensure sustainability and inclusivity. These findings can serve as a reference for other regions that want to adopt a similar approach in improving the quality of public services.

Public administration scholars separate over whether the public bureaucracy of the democratic polity ought to be the starting point of public administration scholarship. Dwight Waldo (1948). John J. Kirlin (1996), and Vincent Ostrom (1997) among others, have argued that the democratic polity needs preference and that focusing predominantly on improving efficiency of administrative processes can in fact harm the very polity that such improvements are supposed to help. Procedural due process, substantive rights, equity. and protection of minority rights as well as equal opportunity arid equality among citizens are values that have precedence over efficiency. They argue, and I agree, that a particular public bureaucracy or administrative structure is embedded within a particular political socioeconomic system. If the result desired is an inclusive, democratic polity, then these organizations ought to be grounded in theories, assumptions, and understandings of reality that advance knowledge of, and give direction toward, attaining such a polity. Grounded in rational choice and public choice and containing elements of Total Quality Management (TQM), the New Public Management (NPM) seeks to offer more efficient mechanisms for delivering goods and services and for raising governmental performance levels. Such a goal would appear to be highly commendable and desired by all citizens. As Parsons, Merrick, and Watson (1996, 26) in their study of Deep South mayors note, social contract, in large part, is about the equitable distribution of city resources. The Civil Rights Movement concerned equal services in terms of sewers, paved roads, and street lights as well as equality in voting, jobs, and education. The purpose of this article is to examine the implications of the new public management movement for representative bureaucracies and the development of an inclusive democratic polity. In examining these matters, I will first define an inclusive democratic polity and examine the extent to which the theory and assumptions that undergird the New Public Management are likely to provide guidance to those implementing it should they wish to promote an inclusive democratic polity. Since the NPM is largely derived from rational choice and public choice theories, I will focus primarily on them. However, I will also note briefly how TQM has modified these theories. After assessing these theoretical issues, I will then discuss the meaning and rationale for a representative bureaucracy. Once these basic concepts are articulated, I will suggest how a representative bureaucracy might assist in resolving the problems facing the NPM as the result of trying to apply private sector and market concepts to the public sector. Advancement of an Inclusive Democratic Polity Basic Definition Stated most simply, an inclusive democratic polity is one that provides all its adult, mentally competent citizens with full rights, duties, and responsibilities and a sense of belonging as an equal partner entitled to the benefits and burdens society offers. It is a political entity that consciously strives for human development, dignity, liberty with responsibility, and justice for all. It is an open society grounded in action research and evolutionary learning in which relationships and dynamic contexts matter as well as individuals and groups. In the United States this society needs to work within the framework of the U.S. Constitution and a republican form of government. It is a society in which the people share, as Alexis de Tocqueville, Vincent Ostrom, and Harold Lasswell have suggested, a body of common knowledge grounded in a shared community of understanding with a degree of trust in each other and in the political system, of which the government is an important but not the total part. There is also basic clarity about the place: its material conditions, technological levels, and the nature of national goals. …

There are evaluated the problems of welfare models relation to public administration models by presenting the notions of traditional-hierarchical, new public management and new governance models and their relation to welfare models. There are presented also the countries cases of social policy, which represent the “nearest states”– standing closest to “ideal welfare models”. The aim of the article is to analyse welfare states comparison possibilities and to what to refer in their comparison. There is stressed the difference between “ideal welfare states models” and these models, which are found in the real life. KEY WORDS: welfare state, social policy, public administration, new public management, new governance.

This article examines the practical experiences of developing countries and Nepal regarding new public management (NPM) reforms. This article employed the descriptive research design based on the systematic literature review using almost 50 articles for the analysis; the study aims to understand the extent of NPM adoptions. While many developing countries have partially embraced NPM principles, full implementation remains a challenge. NPM has portrayed public managers as business-like owners of a leaner, more privatized government, incorporating corporate methods and principles. However, the argument suggests that NPM may not be appropriate for developing nations due to issues like corruption and administrative incompetence. NPM initiatives in the underdeveloped world have resulted in both successes and failures, influenced by localized contextual factors rather than national capabilities. The circumstances should guide reformers, urging open-mindedness towards effective strategies. Since the 1960s, Nepal has pursued public administration strengthening efforts, adopting NPM-related reform principles after 1990. Despite good intentions, NPM-based reforms have not brought significant improvements to Nepalese public administration. The article also focuses on how Nepal's political environment, path-dependency traits, and bureaucratic behavior have influenced the implementation of NPM-oriented reforms.