The Old Public Administration and Client Service
Traditional public administration or the Old Public Administration was
largely concerned with either the direct delivery of services or the regulation
of individual and corporate behavior. Those on the “receiving” end
were generally referred to as “clients.” The word “client,” of course, means
“a party for which professional services are rendered” (American Heritage
Dictionary 2000). What is interesting is that the word “client” is derived
from the Latin cliens, which means “dependent” or “follower.” In many
cases, public agencies operating under the Old Public Administration dealt
with their clients in just such a manner. Clients were seen as in need of help,
and those in government made honest efforts to provide the help that was
needed through the administration of public programs. Inevitably those in
the agency came to be seen as being “in control” of those dependent on the
agency. For many clients, the agency’s view appeared to be quite patronizing
and even dismissive. The stereotype of the thoughtless, uncaring bureaucrat
is surely overdone but perhaps contains a modicum of truth.
The New Public Management and Customer Satisfaction
The New Public Management addresses the relationship between government
and citizens, not just a practical concern, but from a distinct theoretical
position. Earlier in this chapter we examined in detail the ideal concept of
citizenship as being active, involved, and public spirited. We also pointed
out the alternative legal definition of citizenship—a view we find to be based
not only on legalism but also on self-interest. This theoretical viewpoint so
clearly underlies the way in which the New Public Management views the
relationship between those in government and those served or regulated by
government that is worthwhile to elaborate the theoretical notion of citizen
as consumer. This view is largely derived from the so-called economic theory
of democracy, a theory that explains political behavior in terms of economic
competition. Political parties, for example, are seen as competing for votes
just as corporations are seen as competing for profits. Citizens, in turn, are
seen as consumers for whose votes the parties compete. These citizen/consumers
make decisions based on their efforts to maximize their own utilities,
casting their votes for one or the other party, or simply turning away
from politics and seeking great utilities by spending their time and energy
elsewhere (Dagger 1997, 105).
This view of citizens as consumers is certainly consistent with the selfinterested
interpretation of political life we examined earlier: the view that
government ultimately reflects the accumulated self-interests of largely