Reform ideas inspired by the new institutional economics have swept the world. This article examines three perspectives on organizing government and civil service. The individual-economic model draws on market theories. It emphasizes institutional arrangements designed to harness individual self-interest to achieve overall efficiency. The collectivist model stresses a centralized state, collective goals, and cultural integration. The pluralist model celebrates a vital group life and sees heterogeneous interests as properly reflected in a public sector characterized by institutional variety. We analyze the three as guides to reform, with emphasis on the individual-economic model, and argue that each applies best under certain conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aberbach, J. D. (2001). The United States federal government and new public management: How good a fit? Public Policy and Administration, 16, 4-23.
2.
Aberbach, J. D., & Rockman, B. A. (2000). In the web of politics: Three decades of the U.S. federal executive. Washington: Brookings Institution.
3.
Allison, G. (1971). Essence of decision. Boston: Little, Brown.
4.
Allison, G. (1982). Public and private management: Are they fundamentally alike in all unimportant respects? In F. S. Lane (Ed.), Current issues in public administration (p. 13-33). New York: St. Martin's Press.
5.
Bentley, A. F. (1967). The process of government. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
6.
Boston, J., Martin, J., Pallot, J., & Walsh, P. (1996). Public management: The New Zealand model. Auckland: Oxford University Press.
7.
Christensen, T., & Lægreid, P. (2001a). New public management—Undermining political control? In T. Christensen & P. Lægreid (Eds.), New public management: The transformation of ideas and practice (pp. 93-119). Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
8.
Christensen, T., & Lægreid, P. (2001b). A transformative perspective on administrative reforms. In T. Christensen & P. Lægreid (Eds.), New public management: The transformation of ideas and practice (pp. 13-39). Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
9.
Christensen, T., & Lægreid, P. (2002). New public management—Puzzles of democracy and the influence of citizens. Journal of Political Philosophy, 10(3), 267-295.
10.
Christensen, T., & Peters, B. G. (1999). Structure, culture and governance. A comparison of Norway and the United States. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
11.
Christensen, T., & Røvik, K. A. (1999). The ambiguity of appropriateness. In M. Egeberg & P. Lægreid (Eds.), Organizing political institutions (pp. 159-180). Oslo, Norway: Scandinavian University Press.
12.
Cyert, R. M., & March, J. G. (1963). A behavioral theory of the firm. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
13.
Czarniawska, B., & Sevon, G. (Eds.). (1996). Translating organizational change. Berlin, Germany: de Gruyter.
14.
Dahl, R., & Lindblom, C. E. (1953). Politics, economics, and welfare. New York: Harper & Row.
15.
Douglas, M. (1986). How institutions think. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
16.
Downs, G. W., & Larkey, P. D. (1986). The search for government efficiency: From hubris to helplessness. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
17.
Egeberg, M. (1995). Bureaucrats as public policy-makers and their self-interests. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 7, 157-167.
18.
Evans, L., Grimes, A., Wilkinson, B., & Teece, D. (1996). Economic reform in New Zealand 1984-95: The pursuit of efficiency. Journal of Economic Literature, 34, 1856-1902.
19.
Fredrickson, G. (1996). Comparing the reinventing movement with the new public administration. Public Administration Review, 56, 263-270.
20.
Gregory, R. (2001). Transforming governmental culture: A sceptical view of the new public management. In T. Christensen & P. Lægreid (Eds.), New public management: The transformation of ideas and practice (pp. 231-258). Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
21.
Gulick, L. (1937). Notes on the theory of organization. In L. Gulick & L. Urwick (Eds.), Papers on the science of administration. New York: A.M. Kelley.
22.
Habermas, J. (1981). Theorie des kommunikativen Handelns [Theory of communicative action] (Band 1-2). Frankfurt, Germany: Suhrkamp.
23.
Hammond, T. (1990). In defence of Luther Gulick's notes on the theory of organization. Public Administration, 68, 143-173.
24.
Hood, C. (1998). The art of the state: Culture, rhetoric and public management. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
25.
Kettl, D. (1997). The global revolution in public management: Driving themes, missing links. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 16, 446-462.
26.
Kornhauser, W. (1959). The politics of mass society. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
27.
Lægreid, P. (2001). Transforming top civil servant systems. In T. Christensen & P. Lægreid (Eds.), New public management: The transformation of ideas and practice (pp. 145-171). Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
28.
Lawrence, P. R., & Lorsch, J. W. (1967). Organization and environment: Managing differentiation and integration. Boston: Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University.
29.
Majone, G. (1996). Regulating Europe. London: Routledge.
30.
March, J. G. (1994). A primer on decision-making. New York: Free Press.
31.
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1976). Ambiguity and choice in organizations. Bergen, Norway: Scandinavian University Press.
32.
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1983). Organizing political life: What administrative reorganization tells us about government. American Political Science Review, 77, 281-296.
33.
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1989). Rediscovering institutions: The organizational basis of politics. New York: Free Press.
34.
Martin, J. (1995). Contracting and accountability. In J. Boston (Ed.), The state under contract (pp. 36-55). Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books.
35.
Martin, J. (1998). Reorienting a nation: Consultants and Australian public policy. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
36.
Miller, G. J., & Whitford, A. B. (2002). Trust and incentives in principal-agent negotiations. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 14, 231-267.
37.
Moe, T. M. (1984). The new economics of organization. American Journal of Political Science, 28, 739-777.
38.
Moe, T. M. (1991). Politics and the theory of organization. Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, 7, 106-129.
39.
Mosher, F. (Ed.). (1967). Governmental reorganizations. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill.
40.
Niskanen, W. A. (1971). Bureaucracy and representative government. Chicago: Aldine-Atherton.
41.
Niskanen, W. A. (1991). A reflection on “Bureaucracy and Representative Government.” In A. Blais & S. Dion (Eds.), The budget-maximizing bureaucrat: Appraisals and evidence. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
42.
Niskanen, W. A. (1994). Bureaucracy and public economics. Aldershot, England: Edward Elgar.
43.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1995). Governance in transition: Public management reforms in OECD countries. Paris: OECD.
44.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1996). Globalization: What challenges and opportunities for governments? Paris: OECD/PUMA.
45.
Olsen, J. P. (1983). The dilemmas of organizational integration in government. In J. P. Olsen, Democratic governance. Bergen, Norway: Scandinavian University Press.
46.
Olsen, J. P. (1988). Administrative reform and theories of organization. In C. Campbell & B. G. Peters (Eds.), Organizing governance: Governing organizations. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
47.
Peters, B. G. (1996). The future of governing: Four emerging models. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press.
48.
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The external control of organizations. New York: Harper & Row.
49.
Pollitt, C., & Bouckaert, G. (2000). Public management reforms: A comparative analysis. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
50.
Rhodes, R. A. W. (1997). Reinventing Whitehall 1979-1995. In W. Kickert (Ed.), Public management and administrative reform in Western Europe (pp. 41-58). Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar.
51.
Sahlin-Andersson, K. (2000). Arenas as standardizers. In N. Brunsson & B. Jacobsson (Eds.), A world of standards. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
52.
Schick, A. (1996). The spirit of reform: Managing the New Zealand state sector in a time of change (A report prepared for the State Service Commission and the Treasury, Wellington, New Zealand).
53.
Self, P. (2000). Rolling back the market. Economic dogma & political choice. New York: St. Martin's Press.
54.
Selznick, P. (1949). TVA and the grass roots. New York: Harper.
55.
Selznick, P. (1957). Leadership in administration. New York: Harper & Row.
56.
Simon, H. A. (1957). Administrative behavior: A study of decision-making in administrative organization. New York: Free Press.
57.
Spicer, B., Emanuel, D., & Powell, M. (1996). Transforming government enterprises. St. Leonards, Australia: Centre for Independent Studies.
58.
Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill.
59.
Truman, D. T. (1951). The governmental process. New York: Knopf.
60.
Williamson, O. E. (1985). The economic institutions of capitalism. New York: Free Press.
