Riding the crest of a wave: the national performance review and public management reform

Abstract

This article takes an eclectic look at the National Performance Review phenomenon by focusing on the various reform trends that are encompassed within the NPR agenda. After detailing the many catalysts for administrative reform, the authors describe numerous “megatrends” that permeate the contemporary public management literature. The anti-bureacratic biases of today's efforts to reform government are examined, along with the resulting themes for change. Privatization, downsizing, decentralization, debureaucratization, productivity enhancement, and managerialism are some of the reform goals that pre-existed the NPR, but which are clearly evident in the Report's recommendations. Each of these goals is briefly assessed in terms of its rationale, content, and potential implications for public managers. The article concludes with a few cautionary observations concerning the outcomes -- both expected and unanticipated -- that are likely to accrue to public management as (or if?) the NPR bandwagon accelerates.

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