New Public Management: Lean State,
Lean Government
(October 27– November 03, 2006)
by Patricia Artadi-Facultad
 |
| Patricia
Artadi-Facultad |
Learning NPM
The seminar of the impressive International Academy of Leadership
focused on the constraints of the present structure of public
administration in our countries. We were taught the principles
and instruments that can work to effect change in the public management
of government: the efficient system of a lean government versus
a bloated bureaucracy, the creation of a selection process for
politicians, whether elected or appointed, the imperative to include
citizens and to provide venues and incentives for them to actively
participate in government.
Implementing NPM
I started the seminar however with a perception that my fellow
participants seemed to presuppose that the state had failed as
a genuine force in delivering to the people, particularly from
an economic, social and political standpoint.
But I begged to differ (and we differed on our opinions constantly,
as the Philippine contingent was the largest one), as the national
bureaucracy and the local government have experienced tremendous
pockets of success in effecting real change and implementing new
public management (NPM). Awareness of NPM has been increasing
in the Philippines ever since the institution of the Local Government
Code. The infusion of young public servants with fresh mandates
into the bureaucracy and the presence of progressive civil society
advocates have began the push for increased transparency and accountability
in all government transactions.
NPM is clearly a strategic tool that can easily blend the government,
the private sector and civil society for better monitoring and
evaluation of transactions. It lends itself to the formation of
tripartite partnerships or public-private partnerships (PPP).
This is of utmost importance in our country, where people feel
extremely disenfranchised, distrustful of public servants and
hopeless that our government will ever rid itself of corrupt practices.
We saw NPM come to life in Gummersbach because we were coming
from different backgrounds and societies. We found how my work
as a media practitioner in government can significantly ensure
the optimal usage and allocation of resources.
For emerging economies such as the Philippines, Argentina, Senegal
and Tanzania, we found that new public management could be instrumental
in addressing the fundamental societal issues that government
still needed to deliver. From the different facets of education,
health and other equally important social services, we found that
PPP can harness the strengths and overcome the weaknesses of government
in delivering to the people. We found best practices, not only
in Germany, but also in Malaysia, in South Africa, in Turkey and
in Latvia.
It is important however to keep the fire burning and to assure
sustainability of these efforts to deliver to the people, because
if the passion for good public service dwindles, our people suffer
and complain.
It is impressive that first-world countries have the ability
to outsource, that they have funds that empower them to choose
the type of service that they can offer to their citizens. Unfortunately,
for struggling economies, the problem of implementing NPM remains,
given the lack of available resources. Unlike in Germany, South
Africa and Malaysia, countries such as the Philippines, Argentina
and Senegal, lack the purchasing power to subsidize services and
other public goods. Privatization is always an alternative, but
it is important for civil society and the media to remain wary
of companies that offer to take over certain services, especially
that of utilities.
I also found that it would serve the participants well to learn
of change management and to have courses on power and how to balance
and manage it. In the United States and New Zealand, for example,
where NPM cases have proliferated extensively, one reads that
there is no simple formula to simplify the balance of power between
those delivering public services. And this balance of power is
something which unfortunately, in developing economies, we continue
to take for granted.
The Face-to-Face Seminar in Gummersbach, Germany
Although most of the key concepts of NPM were discussed extensively,
it was the roundtable discussions which were the most enriching.
The NPM seminar however, overall, was excellently managed and
the facilities exceeded expectations. The guest speakers, especially
Mayor Uwe Ufer, were very interesting as well.
As for the online phases of the seminar, it was an excellent
basis to break ground in our countries. Theory is especially important
for those that have not been exposed to development work. It is
also important so that all of us talk the same language.
Multiplying NPM
There is an interesting insight that I read in one publication
on governance that tells us that modern states should become mediators
and not try to do everything themselves. The NPM seminar in Germany
I think succeeded in doing just that. The seminar somehow empowered
participants from all over the world to work together across great
distances on the many challenges that we face as public sector
advocates in our own countries. We need to constantly reinforce
in ourselves that we are not alone, lest we end up resigned to
the fact that things cannot be changed. If there was one thing
that was most evident among the participants, it was the fact
that strong commitment can be expected if the value of NPM and
cooperating towards this end goal was clear to all participants.
It is also important in the advocacy for PPP and NPM, that we
keep dialogue alive and well among public sector proponents, policymakers,
researchers, the business sector (particularly social entrepreneurs
and CSR advocates) and the academe. Replicating the seminar would
be important but developing a regional or Asian version might
be better since the concerns in the region are more or less similar.
To replicate it at a purely local level would be too parochial
as it would be useless trying to convert the converted.
NPM advocates also need to be forewarned of the risks of NPM
and the promotion of PPP. For instance, business should not take
advantage of the public sector in transactions, wherein public
funds could be spent in less important public affairs. There’s
a saying in development work that public funds must be spent where
markets fail, and unfortunately, those are areas where the private
sector might be less inclined to lend assistance to. For instance,
we learned that in Germany more PPP focus on research on vaccinations
and AIDS prevention, while in the Philippines, the pharmaceutical
industry works with local government to provide vaccines for diseases
acquired in infancy. If we are to be NPM advocates, we should
work globally to ensure stability in our policies so that we can
fulfill our responsibilities to even the smallest community in
our country. For example, government agencies need to ensure adequate
water supply, but they also need to assure the public of its quality,
and that rates are socially equitable and fair. NPM can only work
if there are strong regulatory authorities.
Hence, I think it is important for us advocates of NPM to stress
that government cannot wash its hands of responsibilities that
are for the common good, and that if we are to continue our dialogues
and debates about public-private partnerships, we must also discuss
its limits and risks. For instance, we did not delve too much
on the rules of procurement, biddings and acquisitions which I
think would have been an important aspect to discuss. Major initiatives
in NPM which we tackled in the seminar such as the construction
of infrastructure projects are difficult to implement in developing
countries because of high levels of risk. These were concerns
which I believe were valid but were not explored.
In the Philippines, we’ve learned our lesson well and have
begun to implement PPP in the procurement of school buildings,
school chairs, blackboards and even feeding programs for primary
and elementary schools. And contrary to popular belief (or so
it seemed in the seminar), the Philippines has made great inroads
in the implementation of NPM, and I hope that our presence in
Gummersbach reinforced that.
