Research on New Public Management from a Multi-dimensional Perspectiv

At present, community pension has become a new type of pension. However, with economic development and social transformation, our country has entered a special period of diversified interests and complex contradictions. Environmental mass incidents show a high incidence trend. "Dilemma." This article uses a new perspective of behavioral public management to analyze the interaction between the government and the public in the decision-making process of environmental projects, and draws the conclusion of "two transformations": the cognitive framework of "public management". Scientific understanding is needed. Transform into the cognitive framework of "public epistemology"; accordingly, the interactive mode of the one-way role of the government and the people and the intermediary influence of experts needs to be transformed into the two-way role of "public epistemology". Based on the interactive mode in which the government, the people and experts play a regulatory role, it is recommended to transform the path dependence of government decision-making led by bureaucratic experts and technical experts into completely democratic decision-making.

From Bureaucratic Discipline to Self-Actualization: Using Marx and Foucault to Critique the Demand for Better Work Rather Than Less Work

This essay brings together Karl Marx’s alienation critique with Michel Foucault’s theoretical work on technologies of power to examine the demand for self-actualizing work. I argue that many of the themes in Marx’s writings appear frequently in the human relations management literature and are later incorporated by New Public Management. However, Foucault’s work is shown to complement and extend Marx’s initial alienation analysis, and then to highlight the reliance of human relations management on disciplinary technologies. Lost in the demand for better work is a more radical vision of harnessing machinery to bring about a post-work society.

Understanding the Field of Public Policy in the Context of Public Administration Evolution

Public policy is classified as a major field in public administration. Therefore, to understand the context of public policy as a field, it is essential to explore its root developments in public administration from epistemological and chronological perspectives. This chapter is a review study referring to main scholarly works including books, academic articles, and studies. The chapter first helps researchers and students in comprehending the evolution of public administration in its four main stages including classical public administration, new public administration, new public management, and new public governance. Second, the chapter presents a general overview of the evolution of the public policy field with particular attention paid to the concepts of Harold Lasswell who is seen as the father of public policy. The chapter then discusses different definitions of public policy. Various classifications of public policy are also investigated. The chapter ends with a critical discussion of the stages model (heuristics).

Public Administration (PA) Education in Italy

PA education is closely related to the public administration understanding of the relevant country and the public administration reform process. In this context, the structure of the Italian public administration, its historical roots, traditions, and public administration reform processes are discussed in order to understand the PA education in Italy. Since Italy is from the Continental European school of public administration, its effects on public administration reforms and PA education in Europe have been examined. Factors such as the spread of the new public management approach and the Bologna process initiated by the European Union, the convergence process in PA education and its effects on Italy are discussed. It is aimed to shed light on the PA education studies in Turkey by considering the PA education in Italy, one of the important representatives of the Continental European public administration understanding, which constitutes the intellectual foundation of the Turkish administrative system.

Alternative Approaches to The Reform of Higher Education: Manageralism VS. New Public Service

The article is devoted to the analysis of alternative approaches applicable to modern reform of higher education. Last three decades, the set of management technologies of the new public management (NPM) has significantly transformed higher education, introducing application some elements of quasi-markets and metric systems of performance indicators. Their large-scale use was reinforced by the ideology of new manageralism, which builds confidence among managers in effectiveness of their application in higher education. However, the experience of their practical implementation has given rise to negative effects and problems associated with emergence of institutional traps. These traps have become serious obstacles to development of modern higher education. The possible alternative when adjusting development in this sphere can be the concept of “the new public service”, which has been implemented in recent years within civil service reform. This new approach is based on cultivating the set of ethical values and principles that promote openness, transparency, democracy and cooperation between bureaucrats and consumers of public services. Due to some specifics of professional activity in the academic environment, its principles and values can be successfully applied in higher education too. The article offers an interpretation of application of this approach in the context of expanding project education and cultivating key values of the academic community in context of management of higher education.

How do innovation and financial reporting influence public sector performance in a transition market?

PurposeDrawing on new public management (NPM) theory and institutional theory, this research examined the direct and indirect effects of an innovation-oriented culture on organisational performance as measured based on financial reporting quality and accountability. The investigation involved public organisations in Vietnam, which is a transition market.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to accountants and finance managers working in the public sector, and 248 valid questionnaires were subjected to analysis. The research model and hypotheses were tested via partial least squares-structural equation modelling.FindingsResults indicated that an innovation-oriented culture favourably affects the performance of public sector organisations. The quality of financial reporting and accountability mediate the relationship between the aforementioned culture and performance.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the chain of activities that spans innovation, financial reporting quality, accountability and organisational performance in the context of public sector organisations in an Asian transition market.

From New Public Management to Public Sector Management Reforms during the pandemic. The effects of Covid-19 on public management reforms and effectiveness

The current paper presents some aspects and criticisms from the theoretical literature concerning the New Public Management (NPM). The article also critically examines whether the NPM model is appropriate and the drivers that affected its efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector especially in Greece, during the current pandemic. The research concluded that the process of managerial reform and the specific criteria in order to evaluate NPM’s effectiveness are not completed yet and that there are some key barriers such as the statist perception of citizens and politicians, the corruption of public, the fragmented organizational structures, the resistance to change that hinder the success of change and of NPM’s effective implementation in public sector. However, Covid-19 was a situation that helped many aspects of NPM such as digitalization, digital transformation, e-governance etc. to effectively be introduced and implemented in public governance of Greek organisations.

Evolution in Public Governance Models: From Administrative Management to the Hybrid and Normative Concept of Good Governance (Part I)

The administrative-bureaucratic system developed by M. Weber dominated for many years in public governance. Serious criticisms of its inefficiency led to the emergence of an alternative concept called new public management in the 1980s. The new model introduced market-oriented solutions, as well as corporate management tools and approaches such as strategic and business planning. As a result, the new public management increased the efficiency of public governance. However, it created public discontent due to ignoring the criteria of social justice. With globalization and technological change, new views and paradigms emerged, which have been derived from the practices of many countries and crystalize in the concept of good governance. It is a hybrid concept because new socially significant principles such as openness, transparency and digital communication have been added to accepted principles like rule of law, efficiency and effectiveness. It is also a normative concept because the principles are treated as guiding rules, which countries have to follow in their public governance.

Managing employee performance in transition economies: A study of Vietnamese public organisations

<p>Public employees’ poor performance has been cited as one of the leading factors in the failure of reform programmes in developing countries. Although previous employee performance reforms have targeted selection, training, appraisal and compensation, agreement exists that these problems persist. Improving employee performance has proven difficult in developing and developed countries alike. Motivated by the New Public Management (NPM), employee performance management (PM) has been widely introduced by developed and developing countries as a public sector reform. Employee PM supposedly furthers development objectives by improving performance, enhancing accountability and aligning employee efforts with organisational goals. Unfortunately, the literature has reported many failed PM reforms. Arguably, employee PM in the public sector usually faces several difficulties, including the diversity of stakeholders, bounded delegated authority, ambiguous organisational and job goals, as well as the inherent complexity of employee PM activities. The situation is even more challenging for developing countries due to contextual problems of weak institutions, weak capacity and traditional cultures. There are perspectives that employee PM may not be compatible in developing contexts. Although there is no shortage of research on employee PM, most is theoretical research or conducted in developed countries. Empirical research in developing countries, particularly in the public sector, remains sparse. To address this gap, this research investigates whether employee PM is applicable or effective in the developing context, as well as exploring which contextual factors affect its development. To answer these research questions, a mixed methods approach guided by the research philosophy of pragmatism was adopted. The data for this research was gathered from 30 interviews and a survey of 322 respondents from 29 different organisations across five central Ministries and two provinces in Vietnam as a transitional economy with a strong effect of Confucian culture. This study contributes to the literature by providing some key findings. Firstly, it confirms that if well designed and implemented, PM can work in the public sector in developing countries. This finding supports the perspective that the failure of PM schemes is mostly because of implementation shortcomings rather than theory defects. Secondly, it proposes a formula for the effective implementation of PM in the developing context. Specifically, it is a combination of five PM practices, including goal-based appraisal, feedback, reward-for-performance, addressing poor performers and employee participation. Thirdly, the development of employee PM in developing countries is driven by three contextual factors: agency accountability, HR autonomy, and entrepreneurial leadership. Fourthly, PM is not only a tool to improve organisational performance, but also an important mediation agent to transmit the effect of other reform activities on desirable outcomes. Finally, the effect of the contextual factors on development of employee PM is weakened by interpersonal relationships and nepotism while being strengthened by communication and training. Based on these findings, this research proposes strategic solutions for policy-makers while providing specific suggestions for practitioners to develop effective PM systems. It also discusses some implications and identifies gaps for researchers in the future.</p>