Abstract:

Public sector worldwide faces increasingly pressing challenges. In recent years, it is commonly accepted that adopting practices and tools from the private sector, such as “strategic thinking”, “customer focus”, “performance measurement”, “new technologies” and “continuous improvement” is the best way to address many of the problems in public sector’s management. Many business executives believe this prescription to be self-evident, and many public servants from the top management find it appealing as well. However, it is based on the wrong premise that the state's relationship with its citizens is, or ought to be, broadly analogous to that of a private business with its customers. Public administration is about choices, so public sector administrators are called to effectively integrate appropriate private sector practices into their organizations while maintaining their role to serve public interest and create public value through their services. These reforms depend on a new structured public administration to carry them through. The current paper presents some of the most important and contemporary tools and practices of the private sector that were introduced in public administration especially from the New Public Management reform until today.