Public administration versus public management: parallels,divergences,convergences and who benefits?

Abstract

In this article, the author argues that the New Public Management approach to state and public affairs can only succeed in perpetuating the already unacceptable level of inequalities, exclusions and poverty, both domestically and globally, instead of reversing them. The existence of institutions such as the G8 implies that there is inequality and exclusions even among the developed countries of the world. In emerging democracies, especially in Africa, the situation is rendered worse by the level of poverty, lack of or inadequate education and political instability. In such situations, the role of the state and its machinery, i.e. public administration, assumes greater proportions in the promotion of the general welfare of the population. Such situations cannot be left to economic imperatives as suggested by New Public Management approaches. Marketization is, by nature, exclusive and how it can be reconciled with the pursuit of the promotion of the general welfare and concerns with social issues and public policies beats imagination. Thus, public administration, being time, place and culture bound, demands that the design of its curricula takes the developmental level of the country and its population into account while being mindful of international trends for its adaptation at a pace suited for the specific country.