ABSTRACT
New Public Management (NPM) is a general name for a paramount doctrine that dominated public administration research and theory over the past decades, changing profoundly the terrain of policy making and government services. It is based on the notion that more managerial ideas should be infused into public administration and policy to improve government performance and services. The extent to which the doctrine has made a real difference on the ground has been called into question. Aficionados and maligners, scholars and practitioners alike can hardly ignore that raft of ideas that has sought to revamp the relationship between governments and citizens through more responsive, efficient, and effective services. The precept that lies at the heart of that approach to public administration is that government has a lot to learn from the private sector in terms of “doing more with less” and giving citizens-as-clients what they want, and therefore it should emulate business methods and protocols to satisfy a growing body of unsatisfied citizens. Citizens have a political “voice” that they are expected to cast in order to shape the landscape of their everyday lives with their government and fellow citizens; some allege that treating them like customers might subdue that “voice” that is the linchpin of democratic participation and legitimacy. Maybe NPM is way past its heyday, but in its wake, it has projected further reform and development.
