The Politics of New Public Governance

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Abstract

In recent decades, the general trend in the surge of new governance paradigms has been to redefine the role played by different actors in policymaking and policy implementation - and to invite still more actors into governance processes. While this was the exclusive domain of public authorities in the Old Public Management paradigm, New Public Management invited in a few more actors. The New Public Governance paradigm turns policymaking and policy implementation into multi-actor activities. There is considerable research attention on how multi-actor governance emerged and functions as a strategy for enhancing public governance effectiveness and quality. However, there is a tendency to overlook how NPG is both a product and way of doing politics, defined as contestations and struggles for influence on decisions that shape the authoritative allocation of value in society, which condition who gets what, when and how. To put it bluntly, the NPG research lens is more public administration than political science. This chapter analyses the politics of NPG in terms of the politics driving its emergence and its structuration of power relations and patterns of political contestation between those involved in governing society.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook on the Politics of Public Administration
EditorsAndreas Ladner, Fritz Sager
Number of pages9
Place of PublicationCheltenham
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing
Publication date18 Oct 2022
Edition1
Pages50-58
Chapter5
ISBN (Print)9781839109430
ISBN (Electronic)9781839109447
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Oct 2022
SeriesElgar Handbooks in Public Administration and Management

Keywords

  • New Public Governance
  • Political contestation
  • Political science
  • Policy making
  • Politics

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