New Public Management in Bangladesh: Policy and Reality

Farhana Ferdousi,Lisheng Qiu

doi:10.4236/ib.2013.53b032

Abstract

New Public Management (NPM) is a management philosophy used by the government since 1980s to modernize the public sectors. Many developed and developing nations are now experimenting about the applicability of NPM in their context. In Bangladesh, NPM reform ideas have also been recommended by international donor agencies as well as numerous reform committees but yet the country has hardly made any progress in establishing effective public management. This paper attempts to identify some administrative reforms in Bangladesh that have the spirit of NPM as well some peculiarities that threaten successful implementation of NPM in Bangladesh. It is argued that state incapacity, bureaucratic failure and donor-driven reform policies are responsible for the failure of implementation of NPM in Bangladesh. Therefore, to establish efficient public management or to follow NPM model, Bangladesh need to have solid institutional frameworks, sound rule of law, proper control structures, appropriate checks and balances, effective civil service system, appropriate accountability and transparency; and for these political leaders, bureaucrats and donor-agencies have to work in line.

Highlights

Since Bangladesh gained independence in 1971, reforming the administrative state, inherited from the colonial authorities, has become a major aspect of the country’s quest for development
It is argued that state incapacity, bureaucratic failure and donor-driven reform policies are responsible for the failure of implementation of New Public Management (NPM) in Bangladesh
To establish efficient public management or to follow NPM model, Bangladesh need to have solid institutional frameworks, sound rule of law, proper control structures, appropriate checks and balances, effective civil service system, appropriate accountability and transparency; and for these political leaders, bureaucrats and donor-agencies have to work in line

Summary

Introduction

Since Bangladesh gained independence in 1971, reforming the administrative state, inherited from the colonial authorities, has become a major aspect of the country’s quest for development. Various governments, be they military or civilian, have made reforms a major priority on their developmental agendas and have, expended significant resources, both human and financial, in these efforts. Since independence the government constituted 17 reform Commissions or Committees with a view to reorganize/reform civil service and public sector. The present study is an attempt to find out some problems regarding implementation of new public management, the current trend in the world to reform and manage the public sectors

Concept of New Public Management and Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

Perspectives in the Failure of Npm Reform in Bangladesh

Conclusions