The term public management can be likened to public administration. However, for some people, the term management would have a broader meaning. The present writer begs to propose his own definition of the term to be used as reference for the analysis of the existing situation in the modern era. This is to present a different perspective on the subject to be served as food for thought for those who are keen on the subject of public management. The word “public” normally refers to the public sector which in essence is concerned with governmental activities while the word “management” is a term broader than “administration.” To manage is not to govern only but to make sure that things will get done in an efficient and effective way with a process which might involve a number of elements outside of the officialdom. To govern or administer refers to working of the state authorities to run the affairs of state whereas to manage can be thought of as a process which requires both state authority and participation or involvement on the part of the private sector and the people in general. And this would depend on the need of a particular mission or project. Indeed, the term “public management” and “public administration” might be used interchangeably depending on a particular issue and a particular situation.
In the modern era, it can be argued that three are three dimensions in “public management.” The three dimensions are first, the management of the public sector which has undergone some changes with the change of era; second, the public management which involves a process of collaboration between the state and the private sector due to the growing role of the MARKET mechanism of a capitalist economy; and, third, public management in a new international milieu of the globalization era.