The old CPA was highly dominated by the ideas of American scholars, such as Fred W. Riggs (1964) and Ferrel Heady (1966). Theoretical frameworks and concepts were mainly coined by American professors. Conversely, several non-American scholars are leaders of the new CPA. Scholars from continental Europe and the United Kingdom build conceptual frameworks and conduct empirical research on the administrative reform experiences of European countries. The body of knowledge on administrative reform accumulates from both scholarly work and also the intense administrative reform efforts of European governments. Reform innovations are being tested by European governments, and much borrowing of reform ideas is going on among European countries. Non-European countries also borrow from the reform experiments of European countries by implementing European-style administrative reforms. For example, the British and New Zealand models of reform have been studied by scholars and practitioners around the world.
During the old CPA period, the objective behind the U.S. government's support of administrative reform in developing countries was to prevent communism from taking root. The assumption was that with a modern and efficient public administration, developing countries would be able to fight off communism and bring victory to democracy. The context of the new CPA is different. Today, communism has lost, globalization is in, and administrative reform all around the world seems to be heading toward one trend: the adoption of liberal democratic values, such as citizens as owners of government and the importance of accountability, transparency, fairness, and equity in the conduct of government.
The new CPA is replacing the structural-functionalism and systems theories that dominated the old CPA with new theories and concepts from governance and public management. Then the gurus were people like Gabriel Almond, Fred W. Riggs, and Ferrel Heady. Today the dominant theories and approaches of the new CPA are drawn from concepts of governance and public management, which, instead of a single theoretical framework, contain several interpretations.