New public management in developing countries: a critical reflection

The significance of quality and effectiveness of governance in increasing national prosperity has been widely recognised. The experience of new public management model in developed countries in the 1980s highlights that it facilitates efficiency in the public sector. Developing countries also have introduced selected elements of new public management in the 1990s. The outcomes of these new reforms are crucial to developing countries assisting them to both capitalise on opportunities in the new economic environment and to improve the quality of their public service. However, very little research has focused on the new model in the context of developing countries. This paper will contribute to the emerging knowledge base on new public management by critically examining the model and recent public sector reforms in developing countries. It is argued that new public management provides a sound direction for these countries to introduce appropriate management practices as they adapt to the new dynamic environment. This is despite the fact that the model cannot be fully replicated as a radical reform in these countries.