Evolution of Governance and Characteristics of the New Public Management Perspective - Literature review Example

Governance is a very powerful concept globally because it has developed continuously with civilization of man. The term governance has many definitions, and each of them relates to the context in which it has been used. However, the concept of governance has been developed through theories by philosophers and sociologists like Plato; this is because governance relates to society and people. The origin of governance can be traced back to the Greek language because it is derived from the Greek word kubernao meaning steering (Pfiffner, 2004). Mainly, governance revolves around political and academic backgrounds. Stoker (2006) describes governance as the use of power or authority to manage resources and make policies. Hence, governance is concerned with what policy stakeholders use to exercise their legal rights to achieve various objectives regarding the society. Therefore, governance is concerned with the use of complex structures and procedures in both the public and private sectors of administration. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP, 2012) points out that governance is a process by which decisions are made and implemented or rejected. Further, governance can be used where there are formal and informal structures of decision making in the private and public sectors. The process of governance is influenced by many stakeholders depending on the type of organization. They include NGOs, research organizations, religious personalities, political and social associations (ESCAP, 2012). The concept of governance is complicated, and that is why there are so many definitions, Moreover, governance revolves around the concept of authority, decision making and accountability. Further, governance is defined as a method of controlling societies and organizations. In this case, it is argued that through governance, the people who have power make decisions and are accountable, and systems of airing stakeholders concerns are identified. Accordingly, governance involves the working together of decision makers and the stakeholders by using proper systems and accountability in order to meet their common goals and objectives. There are differences that can be identified which distinguish the traditional concept of public administration and administrators roles from the new role of public managers. The first characteristic of traditional public administration that differentiates it from the new perspective is that it was based on bureaucratic systems. Moreover, the models were developed from the works of Max Webber on bureaucracy. Max Webber argued that control from the top downwards was crucial in any system. Hence, policies for any system had to be carried out in a particular sequence of authority (Pfiffner, 2004). The traditional concept of public administration involved rules and regulations, which followed in a particular system, which is legally developed to control authority. The main concept under this system is that everyone else is a subordinate of a particular political superior. Pfiffner (2004) highlights that; bureaucracy under the traditional concept of public administration was developed during the industrial revolution period. It was significant to the growth and development of public and private sectors and large-scale businesses where politics were involved. Pfiffner (2004) also highlights that Fredrick Taylor contributed to the traditional concept of public administration by analyzing the role of managers and workers in the system. His studies were referred to as Taylorism, and it focused on principles of management through strict control of processes at work and proper planning by managers. The second characteristic of the traditional concept of public management is self-sufficiency. Peters (2003) argues that the traditional system considered that in governance, the government organized and equipped itself properly when implementing any tasks and programs (2). It had to organize itself so that it could rely on its own resources to implement governance issues. Hence, the authority acted autonomously without relying on the economy or society; moreover, it was seen to be self-sufficient (Peters, 2003). The third distinctive characteristic of the traditional concept of public managers and administration is accountability and responsibility. Hughes (2003) highlights that traditional administration perspective emphasized on leadership and each public manager should be accountable through the hierarchy of departments where he/she is assigned. Peters (2003) points out that accountability of public managers flowed upwards through the hierarchy whereby, government officials were required to answer to their political masters. This was good for the traditional public administration because it created a connection between the administration of the political systems and the social systems in the society (Hughes, 2003). According to this perspective, an organization should be accountable to the stakeholders whom its decisions affect. The fourth characteristic is uniformity and equality. In this case, governance is supposed to ensure equality of all the citizens by providing equal benefits and deprivations to all people (Peters, 2003). This enhanced that there was fairness in governance and distribution of resources. Lastly, the traditional concept of public administration used a civil service system to ensure that services were delivered (Peters, 2003). This means that the public sector employees were governed through a civil service system, which had duties of recruiting, paying, grading and managing employees. The new public management and administration perspective has been continuously developed from the traditional perspective in the past three decades. It emerged due to the shortcomings of the traditional approach and hoped to remedy the problems that existed (Hughes, 2003). The development of this model was spearheaded by international organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations. Pfeiffer (2004) highlights that, they emphasized on development of good governance through a system of laws, justice systems, financial institutions and fair social structures. Pfeiffer 2004, states that new public management is the total collection of techniques and strategies that seek to improve the performance of the public sector. Decentralization is the most prominent characteristic of this model. This model favors decentralization and delegation of authority, unlike the traditional model, which advocated for bureaucracy. In addition, it uses market forces like competition to ensure performance of the public sector is improved. Falconer (1997) argues that this approach is more accountable due to decentralization than the traditional model. The second characteristic is the focus on output controls, moreover, falconer (1997) highlights that the model is concerned with results of the public sector rather than the processes involved in performance, which are used by the traditional model. Hence, the public sector is focused on the quality of services they offer and their results. The third feature of the new public management and administration model is the professional managing of governance. Falconer points out that in this method, the managers work proactively in the daily activities they are assigned to and they have authority and responsibility for their decisions within their duties. Hence, professional managers who are competent in their fields unlike the traditional model where systems and favorites were used run the public sector. The fourth characteristic of the new public management perspective is the use of clear standards of performance (Falconer, 1997). This means that the public sector managers are subjected performance evaluation. There are various measures put in place to measure public sector performance, which compels delivery of services efficiently, and effectively (Hughes, 2003). This is unlike the traditional model, which did not measure performance. The last characteristic of the new model is that the model is focused on competition in the provision of public services. Hughes (2003) highlights that in this model rivalry between service providers and the private sector is encouraged so that it can create a choice for the target customers. This forces the public administration to improve the services they offer unlike in the traditional model where competition is limited. Los Angeles Unified School district is regarded as the biggest comprehensive public school body in California but is second after New York City Department of Education in the United States. It has the purpose of promoting equity and access to excellent schools for all students (Deasy, 2012). This is because each child in the state has right to quality education. Hence, the purpose of LAUSD is to serve schools and students in the country and ensure the provision of quality education. The vision of LAUSD is to focus on student learning and achievements. It has a duty to create a conducive environment and conditions for students to excel and build a curious culture and a life-long learning community (Deasy, 2012). The vision of LAUSD is also to ensure that every student in California receives quality education in safe caring surroundings so that they can be properly prepared for their future. Therefore, in order to ensure that LAUSD realizes its mission and vision and aligning them with the stakeholders needs, it works together with the target population. In this case, it provides quality instructions and firm curriculum in all grades to enhance learning and achievement by students (Deasy, 2012). Furthermore, to align its vision and mission with the target population, LAUSD uses a performance meter to measure their progress and make changes where necessary. To ensure this is done, it collects and analyzes data and evaluates the effectiveness of their actions towards achievement of their mission and vision. Online reporting through websites and e-mail is the most effective method of reporting in LAUSD. In this method, all the information is entered in the system, and this has been regarded as the most accurate method of reporting (Deasy, 2012). This method is also very effective because the previous methods were cumbersome since notices are not required. This is because the system has additional features which allows the teachers to make changes to information References Committee of Experts on Public Administration. (2006). Basic Concepts and Terminologies in Public Administration. United Nations Economic and Social Council (pp. 1-9). Deasy, J. (2012). Strategic Plan. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Unified School District. Falconer, P. (1997). Public Administration and the New Public Management. Scotland: Glasgow Coledinian University. Hughes, O. (2003). Public Management and Administration. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Peters, G. (2003). The Changing Nature of public Administration. From Easy Answers to Hard Questions. Viesoji Politika IR Administrativimas. Pittsburgh. Pfiffner, J. P. (2004). Traditional Public Administration versus The New Public Management. Berlin: Institutioenbuildung. pp. 443-454 Stoker, G. (2006). American Review of Public Administration. New York: Sage Publishers. United Nations ESCAP. (2012, September 11). What Is Good Governance? Retrieved From http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp Read More