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Lesson 02: The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

Contemporary Problems and Issues

The limited success of the Bush and Obama management programs illustrates the obstacles in the path of those who wish to reform the system of PA in the United States. Reform efforts often seem to embrace romantic notions of returning government to the simpler days of the Founding Fathers, or unrealistic comparisons between managing in the private sector and the much more complex world of PA.  The elephant in the room is the lack of trust and understanding of many citizens regarding the nature of public management. 

Operating in a political system of divided powers (hence, from the standpoint of the public manager, one of divided ownership and accountability) and asked to balance demands for efficiency and flexibility with equally important demands for responsiveness and accountability, managers, whether politically appointed or from the career ranks, face enormous challenges in making programs work.

Listing a few of the most obvious problems shows how difficult the task is:
  • The image of PA in the minds of many, if not most, is that of a collection of self-interested, faceless bureaucrats. In fact, it's often a paradoxical image: On the one hand, bureaucrats are seen as aggressive, power-hungry tyrants, and the on the other timid, rule-embracing, risk-avoiding factotums.
  • The image of the bureaucrat coincides with the image of big government, constantly expanding its role in society and the costs of maintaining it.
  • With the rise of new public management (NPM) and its continuing influence, allocating responsibilities to the proper organization to implement policies is much more complex than before, with a myriad of networks, contracts, and other connecting devices in use, with the public manager and organization ultimately responsible for results.
  • The growth of NPM and networks linking public and private organizations has raised the issue of what values need to be operationalized: public sector values stressing responsiveness and collaboration with the citizenry, or private sector values associated with bottom-line results.
  • The political environment in which PA must operate is one in which organized interests—lobby groups, advocacy groups, the media, contractors—hold great sway, both in direct dealings with public agencies and with the political institutions that hold them accountable.

 


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