Unpacking New Public Management in Norway – A Policy Fields Approach

Abstract

Abstract Since the 1990s, Norway has introduced market-emulating steering tools inspired by the New Public Management agenda in statutory welfare services. Across service fields, non-profit service providers experienced these changes in various ways. We apply the theoretical lenses of policy fields to demonstrate the distinct institutional context these NPM reforms represented in each service area. We compare five policy fields with distinct trajectories regarding NPM governance and non-profit responses: early childhood education and care, the school sector, child protection services, asylum reception services, and hospital services. Among these service areas, we analyze why some non-profit actors succeeded and some failed in terms of lobbying for policy change in support of non-profits. We conclude that NPM is a multifaceted phenomenon and that general inferences about the negative effects of NPM reforms on non-profit service provision are unwarranted, even within this Scandinavian welfare state. NPM instruments not only vary but are also often layered on the existing institutional structure within a policy field. Thus, the preceding institutional setup is important, and outcomes are not completely determined by policy changes. Furthermore, the non-profits are not simply passive recipients. They may also have influence in terms of institutional resources and the recognition of civil society added value, which they can use to both handle new polices and influence the regulatory framework itself.

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