Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The new public management (NPM) paradigm features very highly in both contemporary public sector reform and public sector management literature. The NPM model has been implemented both in the developing and developed world at the local and central levels of government. Key to NPM is the introduction of market principles in the running of the public sector. The rationale is to replace the over rigid and bureaucratic traditional public administration with the fast moving form of public management so as to achieve high levels of efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the delivery of public goods and services. Despite its wide application, the doctrine of NPM has had diverse impacts in different countries.