ABSTRACT
As noted elsewhere in this volume, the central features, principles and administrative doctrines of New Public Management (NPM) have been variously defined, categorized and enumerated (Hood 1991, 1995, Osborne and Gaebler 1992, Dunleavy and Hood 1994, Boston et al. 1996, Lane 2000, Barzelay 2001, Pollitt and Bouckaert 2004, Dunleavy et al. 2005). The different categorizations highlight the ‘loose and multifaceted’ nature of NPM (Christensen and Lægreid 2001a: 19). It comprises neither a unified theory of, nor a random collection of ideas about, public management, but rather embodies a particular kind of administrative argument based upon specific doctrines and related justifications (Barzelay 2001). Furthermore, it has been applied in different ways with variable effects across a range of jurisdictions, and is thus associated with a varied assortment of policy interventions and reform agendas.
