Kaleplumlee

New Public Administration is an anti-positivist, anti-technical, and anti-hierarchical reaction against traditional public administration. It is a practiced theory in response to the ever changing needs of the public and how institutions and administrations go about solving them. The theory's focus is on the role of government and how it can provide these services to citizens which are a part of the public interest, by means, but not limited to public policy.

History[edit | edit source]

New Public Administration traces its origins to the first Minnowbrook Conference held in 1968 under the patronage of Dwight Waldo. This conference brought together the top scholars in public administration and management to discuss and reflect on the state of the field and its future.^[1] In the USA, the 1960s were marked by a period of unusual social and political turbulence and upheaval. In this context, Waldo concluded that neither the study nor the practice of public administration was responding suitably to the escalating turmoil and the complications that arose from those conditions. Waldo argued that the general mistrust with public administration itself was an example of the poor response. A call to remap the ethical obligations of the service sector was necessary in rebuilding the public's trust of government and bureaucracy which had been plagued by corruption and the narrow self interests of others. Moving toward a more ethical public service, then, requires attention to the underlying values that support public service-and public servants-in any sector.^[2]

The New Public Management (NPM) did not offer public servants an alternative model to help them resolve emerging conflicts and tensions. Concepts of citizenship, democracy and public interest have evolved over time and are continuing to do so. Consequently, the role of government and the role of the public service are being transformed in ways that push beyond the constraints of the Classic Model. At its core, public service requires a vision that extends beyond narrow self-interest.^[3] Waldo sees public administration and bureaucracy as integrally bound to our civilization and culture in two senses: the evolution of civilization itself was dependent upon public administration, and related concepts are constitutive elements within our specific civilization and culture.^[4]