Public Service Vs New Public Administration Essay

Introduction Debates and discussion around the reinvention of the American administrative state created several movements. These reforms tasked themselves with improving bureaucracy and solving political problems. With the complexity of administration becoming ever more prevalent, these reforms needed to take new approaches to succeed. Two such movements came in the forms of the New Public Administration and the New Public Service. Each reform theory was established during times when administration was needing to change. They both were influenced by some of the best public administration scholars of their times. In this memo, I will discuss their origins, approaches to management and approaches to accountability. Finally, I will compare and contrast the New Public Administration with the New Public Service.
The New Public Administration
The New Public Administration had it start in the late 1960s and continued through the 1990s (Frederickson, 1996, p. 263). …show more content…
It focused on tangible management innovations within or organizational structures, a system of delivering greater efficiency, and more responsive and flexible public services (Kaul, 1997, pg. 13). It also recognized change facilitation as the primary responsibility of management (Frederickson, 1996, p. 264). Management in the New Public Administration shifted from inside an organization to managing relations with elected officials, legislators, citizens, interest groups and other government agencies (Frederickson, 1996, p. 267). It introduced innovations in management which focused on public services that were more responsive to its users (Kaul, 1997, pg. 16). For managers in the New Public Administration, the most important aspect of management was their commitment to an effective professional public service and the impartial application of public policy (Frederickson, 1996, p.