The World Bank Approach to Public Sector Management 2011–2020: lessons from the Malaysian experience

Abstract

Drawing upon the Malaysian experience as reflected in interviews with selected senior bureaucrats across the Malaysian public service in addition to the first-hand experience of the author in the reform effort, this commentary seeks to analyse the extent to which Malaysia’s approach to public management reform resonates with the proposed approach of the World Bank. The World Bank Approach highlights the central importance of context in reform. Reforms that pre-specify their intended impact upon service delivery have a better chance of success as, among other things, they are better able to attract a disproportionate amount of resources and offer a platform for a blend of top-down and bottom-up approaches to reform where practitioners take heed of the collective wisdom by consulting all stakeholders, including the public. Notwithstanding, reforms on the back of best practices should not be discounted. Combined, these reforms, with the general purpose of enhancing government performance, do impact on service delivery. While a problem-oriented approach to reform is a prerequisite, Malaysia's experience indicates that it is the follow-through of the implementation effort that ultimately determines reform success.