Changing Conceptions of Public ‘Management’ and Public Sector Reform in South Africa
Journal Article
2015
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International Public Management Review
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International Public Management Network
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University of Cape Town
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Faculty
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Abstract
South Africa’s political transition to democratic rule was the catalyst for ambitious
public sector reform efforts, which sought to restructure the organisational and personnel
profile of the state. A key aim of this process was to enhance the state’s management
capacity to steer a far-reaching socio-economic policy agenda, which drew on the principles
and tools of comparative public management practice as it had evolved globally
and intellectually. This article examines how South Africa’s policy commitment to management
reform can be characterised in comparative terms, and twenty years on, assess
if and how this commitment has materialised in practice. I will argue that the South
African case exhibits a confusing and directionless mix of traditional management control
and unconsummated NPM advocacy. Although this is generally consistent with
NPM practice in developing countries, I will propose that there are at least three specific
elements that lend texture to the South African case, namely, capacity, commitment
and capture.
Description
Reference:
Naidoo, V. (2015). Changing Conceptions of Public ‘Management’ and Public Sector Reform in South Africa. International Public Management Review, 16(1), 23-42.