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The new public management and the future public service: push, pull, balance, and beyond
Author(s) -
Dinsdale Geofl
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
canadian public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.361
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1754-7121
pISSN - 0008-4840
DOI - 10.1111/j.1754-7121.1997.tb01515.x
Subject(s) - citation , public service , service (business) , balance (ability) , public relations , political science , library science , computer science , psychology , business , marketing , neuroscience
The 1980s and 1990s have seen a plethora of reinventing, rationalizing, reengineering and reframing initiatives designed to improve the operational efficiency and service quality of the public service. Collectively, these initiatives represent a substantial shift away from the traditional bureaucratic paradigm towards a yet-to-be defined post-bureaucratic paradigm. While clearly offering a number of benefits to the public service, these reforms have also contributed to an environment of turmoil, a largely disillusioned and cynical public service, and an almost pervasive strain between competing values and goals. Now as we edge towards a new millennium, the challenges facing the government are many. Consider issues of deficit and debt, a weakened social net, increasing global population, and diminishing hopes for national unity. This raises a number of questions. For example, what will be required to resolve the tensions and turmoil within the public service? Will present reforms adequately prepare the public service for the future? If not, what will be required to effectively meet the challenges of the twenty-first century? Of course, trying to foretell the future is inherently a hazardous endeavour. This point was demonstrated by the president of Digital Equipment, in 1977, when he said, "There is no reason for anyone to have a computer in their home."' Nevertheless, it is not necessarily the accuracy of such predictions that is important but the thoughtful discussion they evoke. It is in this spirit that this article will undertake an exploration of the future of the public service. The first section highlights the why and what of recent reforms; this is followed by an exploration of how present reforms might evolve in the future. It is then argued that maximizing the benefits of present and future reforms will require striking a balance between comSTUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION -WINNING ENTRY