Zoran Jovanović, LL.D. *
CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Summary
New Public Management (NPM) is a term used in many countries around the world. It seems to described a global trend of a certain type of administrative reform, although soon it has become clear that it has different meanings in various administrative settings. Even in the academic community there is no agreement what this term signifies. The reform of public administration appears in a wide range of forms, in various context including various national priorities and needs. The model of public administration, based on the New Public Management is derived from the model of administration perceived as public service. It is characterized by equal treatment of all citizens, the request for social justice, responsibility for one’s own work and the work of one’s subordinates, the realization of public programs and giving advantage to the needs of citizens over the needs of administration. This, essentially democratic approach, requires certain changes of public administration and, before all, building of replaceable structures, which is contrary to the stability of traditional bureaucracy. In this paper the author analyzes the systems of New Public Management in the following European countries: Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Key words: New Public Management, reform of public administration, local self-government, public sector, public services, marketization