Public Management Systems
Public Management Systems
Introduction
This article examines the role of the new public service in the modern day government. According to the authors, public service was previously perceived as a government’s tool to manipulate people. This resulted into an element of notoriety concerning the role of public service. However, the situation is completely different in comparison to the new public service. The latter mainly focuses on service delivery and not merely a puppet of the government. The authors investigate the implications of the new public service as well as its effectiveness.
Summary of Article
In previous decades, the United States public service sector had had minimal effectiveness. This is more evident when comparisons are drawn between the public and the private sectors. Traditionally, public management systems were more or less a formality. However, during his tenure as president, Bill Clinton saw the essence of examining the productivity of the country’s public management systems. This was vital in order to streamline the nature of effectiveness in the public systems (Denhardt, 2000). Although some people had concerns about changes to public management, Bill Clinton was assertive that it would represent a step towards the right direction.
The authors of the article also underscore the need to run the public systems as private institutions. Productivity is a critical factor behind this change. Most Americans had no confidence in the capacity of the public system to serve them. It was also essential for the government to enhance its image within the public domain. These perspectives form the basis of reforms in the public management systems. In order to streamline the effectiveness of the public management systems in America, the authors provide various recommendations. Firstly, it is vital for the public systems to maintain the highest degree of political neutrality. In a highly volatile political environment, political bias would undermine the productivity of public systems (Denhardt, 2000). Neutrality is vital because the public management systems should serve all people. The second recommendation from the authors pertains to the centralization of public management systems. Through centralization, the public sector would function in the model of private entities. This is a critical perspective towards the attainment of efficiency in service delivery.
The authors also recommend the inclusion of control mechanisms within the new public service. These mechanisms should be present at all levels of public management. According to the authors, public agencies must also maintain exceptional standards of rationality. This is vital in facilitating a professional process of decision making. The authors also note that bureaucracy can easily interfere with the extent of public involvement in the management process. It is thus vital for the government to abolish all forms of bureaucracy in the new public service (Denhardt, 2000). Community involvement is also another crucial element of consideration concerning the new public service. The input of communities would enhance the efficiency of public management systems. The inclusion of strategic planning in the operations of public systems is also an essential factor of promoting efficiency. According to the authors, strategic planning facilitates for the attainment of collective vision in public agencies.
Merits of the Article
Numerous merits are evident in this article. Firstly, the authors provide an exemplary comparison between the contemporary public management systems and the new systems. Such an analysis is essential in highlight the institutional changes that are relevant in order to enhance the efficacy of public systems. This comparison is also essential in terms of highlighting the positive implications of the new public service systems. The article provides an evaluation of the various implications of running public management systems like private agencies. This is a vital perspective towards the attainment of efficiency in public service. However, the differentiation between citizens and customers is an essential perspective towards averting conflict of interest in public service systems. The assimilation of different management models into the new public service would also help in streamlining efficiency.
Shortcomings of the Article
As much as the article has different benefits, it also has numerous shortcomings. Firstly, the authors do not provide sufficient data in order to validate their conclusions. The validity of research is strongly dependent on the extent or quality of data analysis. However, this is clearly absent from the article. The article also appears to have some form of bias towards the implications of the new pubic management systems.
Point of View
Public service should focus on assisting citizens. Consequently, the government has an obligation to streamline the efficiency of public systems. As highlighted in the article, the involvement of all stakeholders would help in addressing the different challenges facing public systems. For instance, communities can air their grievances concerning the public service systems. Change management is also another framework that would help in streamlining public service in United States. Although the authors have not examined the implications of change management, it is an excellent platform of enhancing the performance of public agencies.
Conclusion
The authors examine numerous aspects of the new public management systems. Traditionally, public management systems were more or less a formality. However, during his tenure as president, Bill Clinton saw the essence of examining the productivity of the country’s public management systems. This was vital in order to streamline the nature of effectiveness in the public systems. Productivity is a critical factor behind this change. Most Americans had no confidence in the capacity of the public system to serve them. In a highly volatile political environment, political bias would undermine the productivity of public systems. Neutrality is vital because the public management systems should serve all people.
Reference
Denhardt, R. D. & Denhardt, J. V. (2000). The new public service, Public Administration Review, 60(6)
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