Second, when public administrators take risks, they are not entrepreneurs of their own businesses who can make such decisions knowing the consequences of failure will fall largely on their own shoulders. Risk in the public sector is different. In the New Public Service, risks and opportunities reside within the larger framework of democratic citizenship and shared responsibility. Because the consequences of success and failure are not limited to a single private business, public administrators do not single-handedly decide what is best for a community. This need not mean that all short-term opportunities are lost. If dialogue and citizen engagement is ongoing, opportunities and potential risks can be explored in a timely manner. The important factor to consider is whether the benefits of a public administrator taking immediate and risky action in response to an opportunity outweighs the costs to trust, collaboration, and the sense of shared responsibility.
Implications and Conclusions
From a theoretical perspective, the New Public Service offers an important and viable alternative to both the traditional and the now-dominant managerialist models. It is an alternative that has been built on the basis of theoretical explorations and practical innovations. The result is a normative model. Comparable to other such models. While debates among theorists will continue, and administrative practitioners will test and explore new possibilities, the commitments that emerge will have significant implications for practice. The actions that public administrators take will differ markedly depending on the types of assumptions and principles upon which those actions are based. If we assume the responsibility of government is to facilitate individual self-interest, we will take one set of actions. If, on the other hand, we assume the responsibility of government is to promote citizenship, public discourse, and the public interest, we will take an entirely different set of actions.
Decades ago, Herbert Kaufman (I956) suggested that while administrative institutions are organized and operated in pursuit of different values at different times, during the period in which one idea is dominant, others are never totally neglected. Building on this idea, it makes sense to think of one normative model as prevailing at any point in time, with the other (or others) playing a somewhat lesser role within the context of the prevailing view. Currently, the New Public Management and its surrogates have been established as the dominant paradigm in the field of governance and public administration. Certainly a concern for democratic citizenship and the public interest has not been fully lost, but rather has been subordinated.
We argue, however, that in a democratic society, a concern for democratic values should be paramount in the way we think about systems of governance. Values such as efficiency and productivity should not be lost, but should be placed in the larger context of democracy, community, and the public interest. In terms of the normative models we examine here, the New Public Service clearly seems most consistent with the basic foundations of democracy in this country and, therefore, provides a framework within which other valuable techniques and values, such as the best ideas of the old public administration or the New Public Management, might be played out. While this debate will surely continue for many years, for the time being, the New Public Service provides a rallying point around which we might envision a public service based on and fully integrated with citizen discourse and the public interest.
Second, when public administrators take risks, they are not entrepreneurs of their own businesses who can make such decisions knowing the consequences of failure will fall largely on their own shoulders. Risk in the public sector is different. In the New Public Service, risks and opportunities reside within the larger framework of democratic citizenship and shared responsibility. Because the consequences of success and failure are not limited to a single private business, public administrators do not single-handedly decide what is best for a community. This need not mean that all short-term opportunities are lost. If dialogue and citizen engagement is ongoing, opportunities and potential risks can be explored in a timely manner. The important factor to consider is whether the benefits of a public administrator taking immediate and risky action in response to an opportunity outweighs the costs to trust, collaboration, and the sense of shared responsibility.
Implications and Conclusions
From a theoretical perspective, the New Public Service offers an important and viable alternative to both the traditional and the now-dominant managerialist models. It is an alternative that has been built on the basis of theoretical explorations and practical innovations. The result is a normative model. Comparable to other such models. While debates among theorists will continue, and administrative practitioners will test and explore new possibilities, the commitments that emerge will have significant implications for practice. The actions that public administrators take will differ markedly depending on the types of assumptions and principles upon which those actions are based. If we assume the responsibility of government is to facilitate individual self-interest, we will take one set of actions. If, on the other hand, we assume the responsibility of government is to promote citizenship, public discourse, and the public interest, we will take an entirely different set of actions.
Decades ago, Herbert Kaufman (I956) suggested that while administrative institutions are organized and operated in pursuit of different values at different times, during the period in which one idea is dominant, others are never totally neglected. Building on this idea, it makes sense to think of one normative model as prevailing at any point in time, with the other (or others) playing a somewhat lesser role within the context of the prevailing view. Currently, the New Public Management and its surrogates have been established as the dominant paradigm in the field of governance and public administration. Certainly a concern for democratic citizenship and the public interest has not been fully lost, but rather has been subordinated.
We argue, however, that in a democratic society, a concern for democratic values should be paramount in the way we think about systems of governance. Values such as efficiency and productivity should not be lost, but should be placed in the larger context of democracy, community, and the public interest. In terms of the normative models we examine here, the New Public Service clearly seems most consistent with the basic foundations of democracy in this country and, therefore, provides a framework within which other valuable techniques and values, such as the best ideas of the old public administration or the New Public Management, might be played out. While this debate will surely continue for many years, for the time being, the New Public Service provides a rallying point around which we might envision a public service based on and fully integrated with citizen discourse and the public interest.
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