Associate Professor Amporn Tamronglak, Ph.D. Faculty of
Political Science Thammasat University New Public Management
(NPM)
Slide 2
New Public Administration (NPA) vs. New Public Management (NPM)
Amporn Tamronglak 2 Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat
University
Slide 3
What is New Public Administration (NPA)? Minnowbrook Conference
I, 1968 : from 3Es to normative theory of public administration 3Es
and social equity, responsiveness and representation Minnowbrook
Conference II, 1988 Blacksburg Manifesto Normative theory
Constitutional basis Neo-institutionalism: Public Administration
Agential Leadership: second citizen Active citizen Authority and
dialogue Etc. Amporn Tamronglak 3 Faculty of Political Science,
Thammasat University
Slide 4
New Public Management (NPM) Owen Hughes (1994, 2004)
Christopher Pollitt Christopher Hood (1991) Gaebler and Osborne
(1992) Jan Erik Lane New Public Service by Denhardt and Denhardt
Amporn Tamronglak 4 Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat
University
Slide 5
Administration vs. Management Administration, Oxford
Dictionary:- An act of administering, to manage the affairs of or
to direct or superintend the execution, use or conduct of
Management:- To conduct, to control the course of affairs by ones
own action, to take charge of (Oxford Dictionary) The act or art of
managing, the conducting or supervising of something as a business,
especially the executive function of planning, organising,
coordinating, directing, controlling and supervising any industrial
or business project or activity with responsibility for results
Management comes form manus, meaning: to control by hand. Amporn
Tamronglak 5 Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat
University
Slide 6
Driving forces for change to NPM1 I. Attack on the public
sector: 3 points 1. The scale of the public sector, too large,
consuming to manage scarce resources 2. The scope of government,
too many activities, leading to private sector--privatization, such
as contracting-out 3. The methods of government with bureaucracy,
becoming a highly unpopular form of social organization, leading to
market principle Amporn Tamronglak 6 Faculty of Political Science,
Thammasat University
Slide 7
Driving forces for change to NPM2 II. Change in economic theory
in 1970s: 1. Public choice theory: the minimum role of government
and maximum role of market forces 2. Principal/agent theory in
private sector: the clear accountability of agent (manager) to
principals (shareholders) by the contract Amporn Tamronglak 7
Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University
Slide 8
Driving forces for change to NPM3 Globalization Competitiveness
Amporn Tamronglak 8 Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat
University
Slide 9
NPM Management defined by Hughes as the achievement of results,
while administration means following instructions (Hughes, 1994, p.
60) Function of general management by Allision (1982) 1. Strategy:
setting objectives and priorities and create operational plans to
achieve objectives 2. Managing internal components: organising and
staffing, directing personnel, controlling performance 3. Managing
external constitutencies (external unite, agencies from other
branches or levels of government, interest groups, and private
enterprises, the press and public Amporn Tamronglak 9 Faculty of
Political Science, Thammasat University
Slide 10
Hood (1991): 7 points in NPM 1. Hands-on professional
management 2. Implicit standards and measures fo performance 3.
Emphasis on output controls 4. Disaggregation of units in the
public sector 5. Greater competition 6. Private sector styles of
management practices 7. Greater discipline and parsimony in
resource use, cutting direct costs, raising labor discipline,
limiting compliance costs to business:--doing more with less Amporn
Tamronglak 10 Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat
University
Slide 11
Hughes (1994): 4 kinds of changes 1. Focus on outputs 2.
Changes to inputs: doing more with less, staff cuts, performance
indicators with stress on economy and efficiency, short-term
appointment, flexible budget, etc. 3. Reducing the scope of
government: privatization, contracting-out, tendering competition
4. Relationships with politicians and the public: managers are now
closer to the politicians, but the politicians have the final say.
Amporn Tamronglak 11 Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat
University
Slide 12
Criticisms on NPM 1. Problem of economic theory Citizens and
clients, consumers: the differences between public and private 2.
Problem with measurement of results in public sector 3.
Neo-Taylorism 4. Politicization 5. Reduce accountability: at arms
length/indirect accountability 6. Implementation problems in
performance management 7. Unclear specification : no clear
definition of NPM Amporn Tamronglak 12 Faculty of Political
Science, Thammasat University
