Omnia mea mecum porto
(He who knows the road does not join the caravan.)
(He who knows the road does not join the caravan.)
Gummersbach Mountain
October 10, 2006New Public Management: Lean State, Lean Government
(April 23- May 1, 2006)
By Ted Francisco
Prior to coming to Gummersbach for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) seminar on new public management (NPM), I was preoccupied with thoughts, most of which were questions, regarding the subject at hand. Some of the questions I raised during the online phase of the discussion were focused on the lack of information on the liberal model of this so-called new public management.
* Could NPM be as effective no matter what kind of government system a country has?
* Is NPM workable only in democratic-parliamentary countries that have attained economic success?
NPM could be a silent revolution at the bureaucratic level of government. It could alter the way our government is run, and it could change our perception of our political environment. But then again, Filipinos have become too suspicious of revolutions. Many believe we have had too much of it.
We have let the momentum of the first EDSA revolution slip out of our hands, and we missed the chance to rectify the errors in our political and government system. Twenty years after the famous EDSA revolution, the call of which was exactly for effective governance, not much has really changed in our political landscape and in the bureaucracy. The government continues to be perceived as pathetic, inefficient and ineffective. Graft and corruption is still rampant, and people remain poor and hungry. Many lack income-generating opportunities. Our perspectives are narrow and limited to the confines of our homes. Nationhood is not our best suit. Indeed, we have failed to finish the job we started in EDSA I. Would NPM give us that cure?
Between monitoring the imposition of a state of national emergency by President Arroyo, the very politically charged discussion on charter change, and trying to grasp information on NPM, I was filled with doubts on the effectiveness of NPM, and the essence behind this much ballyhooed concept. That was basically my NPM state of mind prior to the seminar. Then there was the Gummersbach seminar.
Understanding the liberal model of NPM wasn’t that hard after all. In fact it was comprehensible especially when you discuss it with other reform-minded people. The ideas of promoting a lean government and a lean state, the privatization of some government functions in order to improve services through competition, the benchmarking of best practices to continuously improve governance, promoting customer-orientation and the shift from hierarchical to a flat organization – these are already universal concepts and ideals. In fact, there are already NPM-like policies which have been implemented, some of which were successful while others are still waiting for positive results.
Of course, NPM is not a recipe for government success. Rather, it is a frame of mind for everyone — a yardstick to measure performance, structure, dynamics and efficiency in public service. Since this is a concept, there is no one model for all. NPM offers a new perspective for looking at governance. It is a paradigm shift towards attaining higher customer (public) satisfaction.
There are limitations of course. You cannot, and should not, force a circle to fit in a square. Political culture and political reality play crucial roles in defining the success and failure of NPM. Political education of the people is also important. As long as people do not demand for an overhauling of the government system, implementation of an NPM approach will remain a pipe dream.
Realizing how NPM has resulted in many good things for New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands and other parts of Europe, I asked if the NPM model could be transplanted to the Philippines, and if it would bear the same fruits.
If it is focused on the structural reform of government, there is no reason to think twice about cultivating NPM in our political soil. But would NPM suit the rather unique Filipino culture that is so deeply interwoven in our politics and bureaucracy? Is the idea of NPM designed to particularly address a culture-specific government structure and allow it to work without any kinks? On hindsight, I see no reason why the Philippines cannot thrive on a system operating on a liberal foundation. We have embraced democracy long enough to see the benefits of a liberalized economy – with the free market and all.
The NPM seminar in Gummersbach was indeed memorable, informative, enlightening and challenging. It was exhilarating and inspiring – people from different walks of life, from different professions and persuasions, representing different nations but equivocally wanting to institute reforms in government — it was indeed a fulfillment to have worked with like-minded people committed to a similar cause.
After the week long seminar, there are still so many thoughts inside my head, questions still waiting for answers. But these thoughts and questions only heighten my interest to know more about NPM and to adopt it at least in my area of work. I have become more passionate about supporting government initiatives that will lead to instituting changes in governance style. I look forward to similar noteworthy endeavors with FNF in the coming years.
All comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
