Issue:
5(Special Issue)/2010
Lucyna Rajca
The Concept of New Public Management and Local Government Reforms in Selected Western European Countries
The Concept of New Public Management and Local Government Reforms in Selected Western European Countries
The article was published in Polish in "Studia Regionalne i Lokalne", 2/2009
The reforms driven by New Public Management (NPM) led to the introduction of management principles in local governments, marketisation and outsourcing. They made the greatest impact in the United Kingdom, but were also put in place in other European countries such as Ireland, Sweden, Germany, and – to the least degree – in France (compared to other countries discussed in this paper). There is a risk that NPM-inspired reforms may come to lose sight of the underlying social purpose of public services. NPM has not however become a new, universal model for public sector management. Issues tackled in the debate concerning the reform of public services have moved (mostly in the UK) beyond the concerns of NPM towards the emerging concept of networked community governance.
The Concept of New Public Management and Local Government Reforms in Selected Western European Countries
The reforms driven by New Public Management (NPM) led to the introduction of management principles in local governments, marketisation and outsourcing. They made the greatest impact in the United Kingdom, but were also put in place in other European countries such as Ireland, Sweden, Germany, and – to the least degree – in France (compared to other countries discussed in this paper). There is a risk that NPM-inspired reforms may come to lose sight of the underlying social purpose of public services. NPM has not however become a new, universal model for public sector management. Issues tackled in the debate concerning the reform of public services have moved (mostly in the UK) beyond the concerns of NPM towards the emerging concept of networked community governance.
Affiliation:
Lucyna Rajca: Instytut Nauk Politycznych, Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego - Institute of Political Sciences, Jan Kochanowski University of Humanities and Sciences (ul. Żeromskiego 5 25-369 Kielce);
lucynarajca@interia.pl 
