Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2005. This is an exploratory, qualitative study of the transfer of public management reform policies and performance-based budgeting from abroad into Thailand and Malaysia. The three sources for data are: in-depth interviews with elite officials; document research; and participant observation in the agencies leading reform in the two countries. Findings from the cases lead to a better understanding of why and how public management reforms are transferred around the world. First, this study found that domestic bureaucratic politics is an important factor that has pushed central agencies to make decisions to transfer management policies and tools from abroad. Second, once central agencies seek to transfer policies, the process is rather simple. The two cases show that the processes of transfer occur through various types of agents of transfer. Some of them literally fly into the country to give quick advice or write reports for governments. Some are searched for through 'google.com' or upon personal recommendations. These individuals are not deeply associated with any international organization, they do not represent an institute, and they usually work as individuals. This supports the claim that by focusing on individual-level analysis, we are better able to explain how public management reform policies and tools are transferred around the world. Third, the two cases show that studies of public management reforms must incorporate historical approaches in order to understand the processes at work. In addition to supporting the three claims, this study aims to compare the experiences of policy transfer in the two countries in order to reveal lessons that can be learned which would enhance learning cycles of efforts on reform. It demonstrates the fine line between learning a policy and copying one---something practitioners must be aware of in order to carry out successful reforms. / "Publication number AAT 3207103."

This thesis calls attention to a previously unexplored phenomenon: leadership programmes for educators in support of education reforms. Such programmes, appearing nowadays in different parts of the world, are designed to enable educators to carry out certain activities, and to change their perceptions about newly introduced policies. This study analyzes such a programme for university leaders, initiated and supervised by Russian Ministry of education and science. Theoretically the study builds on a concept of New Public Management (NPM), arguing that this concept is relevant to both Russian education reforms and the programme contents. NPM refers to a complex phenomenon of introducing private sector mechanisms into the public sphere. This thesis shows how Russian higher education reforms since early 1990s are going along the lines of NPM, but at the same time paradoxically combine it with planned economy approaches and tight state control. Apart from internal contradictions, the reforms implementation in Russia is also impeded by public resistance and lack of leadership in universities. The study suggests that the programme in focus served as a means of NPM reform implementation, and provided a concentrated version of the local higher education narrative. Research aims were formulated as follows: 1) to uncover the specifics of NPM narrative in Russian context; 2) to discuss the programme as an instrument of facilitating higher education reform in Russia. Methodologically this research is a qualitative case study. Transcripts of the programme lectures served as the primary data for analysis, complemented by interviews and field notes. The data was processed through a theory-guided qualitative content analysis procedure. The results of analysis show that 80 per cent of the contents were in line with the NPM narrative, which was justified primarily through international competitiveness argumentation. The study reveals the ambiguous role of the state, which was positioned as the main controller or customer, but was also addressed as a barrier for development. It shows how student-centeredness lacked from the narrative, while industries and regions were pictured as important stakeholders. The study also uncovers contradictions within the narrative that can explain difficulties in reform implementation: the call for cooperation contradicts enhanced competition; the orientation to the global market contradicts local functions of universities; and suggested NPM means contradict humanitarian missions of higher education. Basing on a single case with the corresponding limitations to generalization, this thesis contributes to the body of research on NPM, studying it in the previously uninvestigated context of Russian higher education.

Knowledge is often tacit and under researched in educational fields. In order for student access to knowledge and its related academic discourses to be facilitated, a deep understanding needs to be gained of the form that this knowledge takes. This study interrogates the ways in which knowledge is constituted in the first year of a Public Management Diploma and a Public Administration Degree at a comprehensive university in South Africa. The study takes a social realist approach that understands reality as fact but sees our knowledge thereof as a social phenomenon. The study was concerned with knowledge structures and knower structures as it argues that these have not been adequately accounted for in the sociology of education research. But this study comes to this concern from a strongly ideological view of student reading and writing. This study calls on a social practices approach that sees literacy as embedded within specific academic discourses, which vary from context to context. It uses this ideological understanding of literacy as the orienting framework for the study of knowledge. The study takes place in a Higher Education mileu that has begun to transform from its divisive past. The transformation brought about new institutional formations such as the comprehensive university, with its mix of vocational, professional and formative programmes and varied emphasis on contextual and conceptual curriculum coherence. Increasingly, the transformation agenda also shifts concern from simply providing physical access to a previously disenfranchised majority to ensuring full participation in the context of high attrition rates in first year and low retention rates. The data was analysed using the Specialisation Codes of Legitimation Code Theory to see what was being specialised in the Diploma and Degree curricula of the Public Management and Administration fields. These fields are characterised in the literature by ongoing tensions about focus, and perceptions of there being a theoretical vacuum and an inability to deal adequately with challenges in the South African public sector. Analysis of lecturer interviews and first-year curriculum documentation showed that both the Public Management Diploma and Public Administration Degree have stronger epistemic relations (ER), with an emphasis on claims to knowledge of the world. The data showed relatively weak social relations (SR), in that there was not the valuing of a particular lens on the world or a specific disposition required for legitimation within this field. The combination of ER+ and SR- indicates that these curricula are Knowledge Codes, where legitimation is through the acquisition of a set of skills and procedures. The programmes were characterised by fairly low-level procedural knowledge, which may point to a workplace-oriented direction that is dominant in the comprehensive university. In keeping with concerns raised in the literature about this field, there was little evidence of theoretical or propositional knowledge in the Public Management Diploma and while the Public Administration Degree had some evidence of this, it was arguably not to the extent expected of a degree as described in the National Qualifications Framework. This study was limited to the first-year of the Diploma and Degree and subsequent years could present different findings. Lecturers showed awareness of student challenges with literacy practices and made concerned attempts through various interventions to address this but they were found to value the surface features of writing practices over personal engagement with the knowledge. Though the expectations of student literacy practices in tests and assignments were aligned to the ways in which knowledge was constructed in the curriculum, there was little evidence of student induction into disciplinary discourses of the field as knowledge was presented as being neutral and student writing primarily took the form of retelling objective facts. The implications of these findings could include student exclusion from higher-level academic discourse, more powerful knowledge in the workplace and, finally, constrain them from becoming producers of knowledge.

Please read the abstract in the 00front part of this document / Thesis (D Admin (Public Administration))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

New Public Management (NPM) – a global administrative discourse – has been controversial in its intentions, implications, and outcomes. It has been the focus of lively academic, political, and public debate, and has been subjected to extensive academic scrutiny over the last few decades. However, 'spatial analyses' of its global–national political implications remain underdeveloped. Thus, the purpose of the present thesis is to investigate the spatial politics of NPM as a global hegemonic discourse, by exploring its emergence, evolution, and current role in the dynamics of global capitalism and governance. The work examines the processes, technologies, and techniques through which governable spaces of governance have been constructed by NPM discourse. In terms of methodology, a critical discourse analysis is undertaken here of OECD annual reports from 1978 to 2011, as well as other OECD 'texts' that propagate NPM discourse. In terms of theory, the thesis draws on Foucault's notions of governmentality, disciplinary power, biopolitics, and heterotopia. The thesis concludes that NPM discourse creates a heterotopian textual space. It constructs a transnational governing space that is biopolitically governed through the exercise of specific heterotopic practices. Through the deployment of NPM discourse, neoliberal subjects have been constructed, and neoliberal governmentality has become transnational. This has transpired because NPM discourse operates as an interplay between heterotopias of deviation and heterotopias of compensation. Using a set of textual practices of compensation and deviation, NPM (re)constructs a utopia of neoliberalism, where NPM deviates and compensates not only national governments and their populations but also individual public organisations at the national and transnational levels. Through such deviation and compensation strategies, neoliberalism is perpetually (re)produced as an ideal type. To this end, various institutional technologies and techniques of differentiation, surveillance, and compensation/normalisation are deployed.

New public management (NPM) reforms have been promoted into the public administration domain during the past twenty to thirty years amidst growing concerns about performance problems in public sector organisations. NPM was based on the assumption that market principles could address performance problems in public instititions. Critics, though, cautioned against NPM reforms and pointed particularly toward their negative effects on employees and consumers. Although NPM was originally conceived in the OECD countries in the west to address specific socio-economic challenges such as unemployment and benefit crises, its principles have spread across countries in developed and emerging economies of the Sub-Saharan African region, including Ghana. In Ghana, NPM reforms have been carried out across a wide range of public sector organisations, and have included the privatisation (public-private partnership) of the Ghanaian WaterOrg in the form of a management contract. This study aims to draw on institutionalist and culturalist accounts to explain the impact of New Public Management (NPM) reforms on a range of stakeholders in the African context through case study research in the Ghanaian water sector. To achieve this overall aim, its key objectives are to: • Critically evaluate the intellectual origins and assumptions of NPM, and consider its applicability to the Sub-Saharan African context; • Identify the main reasons and counter arguments for using NPM reforms in the Ghanaian water sector, including those associated with post-colonialism, socio-economic and culturalist accounts; • Explore the extent of implementation of NPM reforms in the WaterOrg, including the use of privatisation and public-private partnerships and the forms of consultation used; • Identify and describe the critical success factors for a range of stakeholders (including employees and consumers) and then evaluate and explain the extent to which they have been achieved; • Assess the potential transferability of this study’s findings to other social contexts; and • Consider the potential implications of the study’s findings for effective public management in the case study organisation and other public sector organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research takes a neo-empiricist approach and utilises methods associated with qualitative research such as semi structured interviews, observation and documentary materials to explore the rationale for privatising the Ghanaian WaterOrg. It also critically evaluates the process of implementation of the management contract, and its potential implications for employees of the WaterOrg and users of public services. This research reveals that privatisation did not achieve its prime objective of improving water accessibility for the vast majority of Ghanaian members of the public. This was primarily because of a complex range of inter-related institutional, socio-cultural and political factors that underpinned the management of the Ghanaian water sector. The PrivateCo’s management approach was also perceived to be divisive and favoured some employees (junior officers) over their senior counterparts on a range of issues. This was because the PrivateCo’s management team lacked proper understanding of the Ghanaian culture which was a reflection of the management structure of the WaterOrg. There were however, some improvements in ‘non-critical’ areas, including information technology through computerisation and customer services, particularly in terms of complaint reporting and payment of bills. This study thus reinforces the argument that understanding the socio-cultural context is fundamental for effective public management reforms, particularly in emerging economies, rather than adhering to principles that are based on theoretical assumptions and or universal claims of ‘what works well’. It thus calls for caution and a thorough review of how policies and programmes designed to address specific issues in the west are transferred to emerging and developing economies that have problems with capacity and weak institutional arrangements.

Since its statutory creation in 1997, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has virtually unanimously been seen as a shining light of South African public administration due to its widely perceived efficiency and record of consistently and comfortably surpassing revenue collection targets. Although SARS’ successes have been well documented, little to no research has occurred on the genesis of this institution. In addition, while the field of tax administration is replete with literature from development economists in particular, there does not appear to be much attempt in the archive to study tax administration or tax administration reform from a public administration perspective. This dissertation attempts to do precisely that. It seeks to answer the following linked research questions. Firstly, which forces led to the establishment of SARS? Secondly, with respect to the structural idiosyncrasies which define SARS, which of these elements most significantly distinguish SARS from the rest of the South African public administration and other semi-autonomous revenue authorities and what led to these structural idiosyncrasies? The dissertation does this through a document analysis of various primary and secondary literature such as government publications, statutes, parliamentary publications, commission reports and academic literature. The dissertation perceives the tax administration reform process leading to the creation of SARS through the lens of the sub-field of public administration known as public management reform. In this vein the dissertation applies the Pollitt-Bouckaert model of public management reform as a framework and heuristic device through which the dissertation’s analysis is carried out. These findings are that SARS is most distinguished by its removal from the public service and comparatively high provision for mechanisms of executive control. It further finds that SARS’s aforementioned distinctive features arose from fiscal exigencies, a lack of policy contestation and economic paradigm shifts among key groups of elites. The comparatively high emphasis for executive control is found to be as a result of public service reform priorities in the first post-apartheid government.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-108). / This dissertation is a desktop documentary review of the theory and practice of the New Public Management (NPM) in the public service context of a democratic South Africa. It undertakes an extensive review of the literature on NPM and explores in some detail the NPM’s origins, definitions, key characteristics, critiques and lessons learned. The study then considers the role of this NPM framework in South Africa’s public sector reform programme post 1994, and assess the extent to which it has been influenced by NPM principles. The successes and failures of NPM-inspired processes in South Africa are considered.

The practice and study of public administration has long included questions of efficiency, effectiveness, and economy. In the literature of the last decade, the New Public Management (NPM) movement argues that government should be run like a business and that entrepreneurial-based techniques should be utilized in an effort to enhance government performance. The normative perspective, however, raises counter ideas. The primary purpose of this research is to examine the impact of managed competition, a NPM technique, on four primary study areas including (1) democratic governance, (2) the politics administration dichotomy, (3) organizational effects, and (4) accountability. The study findings indicate that the economic model has had a significant impact on the four study areas to varying degrees. The theoretical propositions posed in the study center around principal-agent theory, public choice theory, and the market model and aid in reconciling the NPM perspective with normative considerations applicable to local government practice. Examining managed competition allows us to see how Charlotte has evolved in its attempt to meet demands from both perspectives. / Ph. D.

An Exploration of Inclusive Management Practices: Through the Lenses of Public Managers Jessica Lee Spencer-Gallucci ABSTRACT This study explores how public managers think about and understand the practices of inclusive management (IM) in the workplace. Specifically, the research explores the lived experiences and perceptions of public managers and their implementation of inclusive management practices. The federal government is among the largest employers in the United States. Past and present presidential administrations recognize the importance of employee inclusion, engagement, and performance management as the foundations for building and sustaining the 21st-century workforce. This dissertation explores the intersection of inclusive management and diversity management. Although inclusive management practices have evolved into diversity management programs, government organizations continue to contend with implementing complex, inclusive practices in the workplace. Executive Order 13583 (2011) established a coordinated government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce. Changes in inclusive legislation and policies in President Trump's 2019 Management Agenda and the Office of Personnel Management's Strategic Plan 2018–2022 may indicate a shift in diversity and inclusion priorities. The Strategic Plan directs the Office of Personnel Management to provide federal supervisors enhanced public management tools that allow success in the workplace. As in previous years, the 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) identified areas of concern in the workplace. Respondents expressed concerns about how their agency evaluates job performance, processes, merit promotions, and respondents' ability to influence organizational practices. Respondents also were concerned the results of the survey will not improve workplace practices. This research explores the meaning and understanding of inclusive practices through the lenses of eight public managers. Although relying on eight interviews limits the study's generalizability, closely focusing and reflecting on a handful of distinctive voices, this study enabled a greater sensitivity to the lived experiences described by study respondents. The research examines the massive changes taking place in workplaces and societies. The narrative inquiry explored the question: How do public managers and leaders think about and understand inclusive management practices? The literature review guiding the study focuses on theories and concepts related to inclusive leadership, inclusive management practices, inclusion and diversity programs, and theory-to-practice models. Analyzing the eight participants' lived experiences provide a meaningful way of identifying patterns or different ways of doing the same things with inclusive practices, public managers' motivation, and professional training. Overall, inclusive management studies linked historical knowledge of inclusion with current inclusive management practices to enhance public management in the 21st century. The accumulated experiences and perceptions of participants in this study contribute to the existing knowledge of inclusive management practices. The research expands the landscape of inclusive concepts, theories, and practices by focusing mainly on public managers' lived experiences and inclusive management views. This study's results indicate the participants' actions align with the literature related to inclusive leadership concepts and the value of employees' perception of belongingness and uniqueness in the workplace. / Doctor of Philosophy / An Exploration of Inclusive Management Practices: Through the Lenses of Public Managers Jessica Lee Spencer-Gallucci GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT Although U.S. government organizations have advanced toward a broad view of inclusion, many public managers continue to grapple with an inclusiveness that requires listening, engaging, and supporting all employees in completing core tasks to improve public management services. Most contemporary government work focuses on improved efficiencies and outcomes. Simultaneously, the government workforce demographics have broadened, and inclusion is fundamental to an organization's core values. Inclusion refers to employees' perception that they are part of the organization and its processes. In this paradigm, the employee participates in decision-making, employee work is essential to the team, has adequate access to organizational information, and commands the resources needed to achieve the organization's mission and goals. Massive public management policy changes are taking place in public organizations and societies more generally. Yet, many employees express concern efforts to ensure inclusive practices in public management lack genuine commitment to fostering shared-decision-making, open-communications, trust, fairness, and the ability for employees to contribute to the organization. Inclusive management has emphasized the importance of inclusiveness for the advancement of the workforce in the future. There is limited historical knowledge about how public managers share their practices and learn from experiences of inclusiveness. The existing literature examines the need for managers to practice inclusiveness in the workplace. Additionally, researchers addressed the need for employees to have a sense of belongingness and uniqueness. Despite these queries, relatively little is empirically known about how public managers enact inclusive practices in public management. This exploration seeks to close this gap. Specifically, the inquiry sought a deeper understanding of eight participants' expertise, activity, and knowledge in relational encounters related to inclusive practices. A primary objective is to create a more powerful narrative around the many aspects of the participants' individuality. The results of this study suggest inclusive practices such as inclusive leadership, open-communication, managing workplace challenges, and valuing employees as an asset helps shape the perception of how managers think about and understand inclusiveness. In this study, participants emphasized promoting employee engagement through trust, fairness, and equality for all workplace employees. The study provides a better understanding of inclusive practice patterns that align with existing literature related to inclusive management, diversity, inclusion, and other inclusion literature.