ABSTRACT

Public management as agencification has figured prominently in the public sector reforms in many countries, as governments have searched for organisational alternatives to the traditional departmental structure. The emphasis when setting up and funding agencies is on getting things done while being able to predict the costs of running the new agency. Government should be at arm’s length, only monitoring the main results and never interfering in the conduct of daily operations. That is a task for top-and middle-level managers. Thus, the performance of semi-independent bodies may be more easily monitored than in-house activities in a huge government ministry.