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Business Models and the Transfer of Businesslike CentralGovernment Agencies
Author(s) -
James Oliver
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.46
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1468-0491
pISSN - 0952-1895
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0491.00159
Subject(s) - emulation , agency (philosophy) , corporate governance , politics , government (linguistics) , public sector , business model , new public management , private sector , business sector , economics , public administration , business , political science , economic growth , economy , management , sociology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , law
At the same time as many researchers in public administration are suggesting the emergence of similar New Public Management (NPM) forms in Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries, a substantial number of those working in comparative political economy are rediscovering differences between countries. This paper explores a key component of NPM—business‐like central government agencies—in four countries: the UK, the U.S., Germany, and Japan. So far, the private sector side of the NPM story has largely been neglected. However, the business‐like agency model as developed in the UK was influenced by the Anglo‐American system of corporate governance. In comparative political economy, the Anglo‐American system is seen as different from that in Germany or Japan. These differences are important for understanding transfer through emulation of the UK agency model by policy‐makers in other countries. An apparent inconsistency may be developing, with governments using an NPM form based on an Anglo‐American model of business that is far from universal in business itself.