Public Management

Public management studies the management of public organizations and programs — leadership, performance, and reform of the public sector.

Scope

It covers public-sector management, New Public Management and post-NPM reforms, performance management, and public-service motivation.

Core questions

• How should public organizations be managed?
• How do public and private management differ?
• What have managerial reforms achieved?
• How is public-sector performance improved?

Key concepts

• New Public Management
• Performance management
• Public-service motivation
• Marketization
• Results orientation
• Public value

Key theories

New Public Management

Hood characterized the NPM reform doctrine of market- and management-oriented government.

Reinventing government

Osborne and Gaebler popularized entrepreneurial, results-oriented public management.

History

Public management was reshaped from the 1980s by New Public Management (Hood; Osborne & Gaebler) and later by public-value and post-NPM 'governance' approaches.

Debates

Has New Public Management worked?

Whether market- and management-style reforms improved or undermined public services.

Key figures

• Christopher Hood
• David Osborne
• Ted Gaebler

Seminal works

• hood-1991
• osborne-gaebler-1992

Frequently asked questions

What is New Public Management?

A reform movement applying private-sector management ideas — competition, performance measurement, customer focus — to government.