Popular in Professional

Leading Figures

Induction of Social Contagion

Yale University Nicholas A. Christakis

Business

The Allegory of the Favela: The Multifaceted Effects of Socioeconomic Mobility

University of Pennsylvania Leandro S. Pongeluppe

Architecture

Connecting Cities and Nature

University of Virginia Timothy Beatley

Human Rights Law

Human Rights and Corruption: Problems and Potential of Individualising a Systemic Problem

Max Planck Institute Anne Peters

Finance

Chinese Exchange Rate Policy: Lessons for Global Investors

University of California San Diego Michael Melvin

Law

A statistical approach to law school citation rankings

University of Virginia Joshua Fischman

Education

Cult of the MBA

View more insights in Professional - Business - Management

View more figures from University of Nottingham

View the page of Richard Common

Read the Study

Next in Business

Do Investors Value Workforce Gender Diversity?

David P. Daniels | National University of Singapore

Design of Patient Visit Itineraries in Tandem Systems

Nan Liu | Boston College

Richard Common discusses the Cult of the MBA: Implications for European post-experience public management education.

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 25, 2024

Log-in or Sign-up to Faculti
Currently viewing this subject insight as a guest. You have insight(s) remaining for this month. Login to view 8000+ figures on the platform.

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

This video video discusses the Masters in Public Administration (MPA), comparing it to the well-known Masters in Business Administration (MBA). While both degrees are post-experience qualifications aimed at individuals with professional management experience, the MPA focuses specifically on managing in the public sector and government.

Historically, the MPA has not garnered as much recognition or popularity as the MBA, which has become the standard qualification for business managers. Recent years, however, have seen an increased demand for MPA programs, particularly following the economic pressures and critiques of excessive public spending in the 1970s. This video video led to the emergence of "New Public Management," which incorporated business management practices into the public sector.

This video video also addresses how the MPA's relevance varies globally, influenced by differing political and administrative cultures. For instance, Anglophone countries often embrace market-oriented public management reforms more readily than continental European countries, where civil service roles are traditionally held in higher esteem and more resistant to such changes.

The author illustrates the challenges of implementing these reforms, such as dealing with corruption and bureaucratic resistance, while also mentioning international organizations like the OECD and the World Bank, which help shape public management practices worldwide.

Furthermore, there is a discussion on the credibility of the MPA compared to the MBA. Although MPAs could offer valuable skills for public sector managers, their perceived status varies by region; they are more respected in Europe and China than in the UK, where public sector managers often opt for MBA programs that may not fully address their specific challenges.

Overall, the importance of well-managed public services is emphasized, suggesting that the MPA's role in improving governmental management should be re-evaluated to enhance its appeal and relevance in different contexts.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.225 --> 00:03.285
The MPA stands for Masters in Public Administration,

00:04.615 --> 00:07.475
and its history is almost as long as that

00:07.475 --> 00:09.115
of its better known

00:09.175 --> 00:13.955
and more celebrated, sister of qualification, the,

00:14.055 --> 00:16.715
the MBA Master in Business Administration.

00:17.905 --> 00:22.515
Um, except that it's probably hasn't got the same amount

00:22.515 --> 00:24.515
of attention simply because it's about

00:25.435 --> 00:27.555
managing in government and, and the public sector.

00:28.375 --> 00:31.915
Um, so like the NBA, its roots are American,

00:32.535 --> 00:35.355
but, it's just caught on in different parts of the world

00:35.355 --> 00:37.265
to various degrees.

00:37.975 --> 00:42.265
Whereas the MBA has generally become the accepted,

00:43.125 --> 00:46.545
post experience qualification for business managers.

00:46.965 --> 00:50.065
The MBA has not had the same amount of traction,

00:50.765 --> 00:53.585
but it's, it's what's called a post experience degree,

00:53.775 --> 00:56.545
like the MBA in that it's,

00:57.145 --> 00:59.585
a degree the postgraduate award offered

00:59.645 --> 01:02.625
to practicing public sector managers who

01:03.135 --> 01:05.865
have a minimum level of experience,

01:05.865 --> 01:07.985
and seniority within the organization.

01:08.125 --> 01:10.905
So that's what it pretty much shares with the MBA.

01:11.405 --> 01:13.585
But obviously there are things in the curriculum that

01:14.205 --> 01:16.705
are different, and there are some things that are similar.

01:17.405 --> 01:20.945
Um, and I can talk about the, the diff key differences if,

01:20.965 --> 01:22.065
if you, if you like later.

01:22.085 --> 01:25.905
But the MPA program is the post experience award for,

01:25.925 --> 01:27.105
public administration.

01:27.575 --> 01:31.225
What the literature has done over recent years has,

01:31.445 --> 01:34.585
if anything, has increased, if you like, demand

01:34.685 --> 01:36.185
for MPA type programs,

01:36.605 --> 01:38.825
and I'll explain that in short if I can.

01:39.365 --> 01:42.265
Um, but certainly since the high,

01:42.495 --> 01:46.425
so-called high water Growth of Public Expenditure,

01:46.595 --> 01:48.785
which was perceived to have been reached

01:49.325 --> 01:53.585
in the United States in the kind of late sixties versus

01:53.585 --> 01:56.185
what I've argue that it's peaked, if you like, with,

01:56.215 --> 01:58.385
with expenditure on the Vietnam War.

01:59.125 --> 02:03.925
Um, economists started to question, unsustainable levels

02:04.185 --> 02:05.325
of public spending

02:06.745 --> 02:08.445
and started to propose solutions about

02:08.445 --> 02:10.445
what governments might do,

02:10.445 --> 02:13.285
to curb excessive public expenditure.

02:14.115 --> 02:17.615
And a number of suggestions were put forward that were then

02:18.235 --> 02:20.735
internationalized and popularized, if you like,

02:20.735 --> 02:24.545
across the world, because they seem to offer good solutions

02:24.765 --> 02:27.205
to, to big government.

02:27.945 --> 02:31.965
Um, and in the uk for example,

02:33.065 --> 02:37.305
the government in waiting on the Margaret Thatcher,

02:37.305 --> 02:40.425
in the 1970s did invite some of these

02:41.545 --> 02:44.585
American economists over to the Institute

02:44.585 --> 02:48.225
for Economic Affairs to listen to, their proposals

02:48.365 --> 02:49.825
for reforming the public sector.

02:50.865 --> 02:52.325
Uh, and this gave rise

02:52.385 --> 02:54.205
to something called Public Choice Theory,

02:54.945 --> 02:58.015
which was basically an economic analysis of,

02:58.195 --> 03:02.605
of political behavior and how government bureaucrats behave.

03:03.065 --> 03:05.045
I'm, I'm slowly coming to the point where,

03:05.295 --> 03:09.605
where there's relevance here for, the, the MPA programs,

03:10.405 --> 03:14.415
but what happened was that commentators

03:14.595 --> 03:19.075
and writers seized upon this strand of economic thought

03:19.615 --> 03:24.035
and started devising reforms that would replicate

03:24.705 --> 03:26.595
this kind of economic analysis

03:26.655 --> 03:28.555
to public sector organizations.

03:29.055 --> 03:33.635
And the result that emerged in the 19, the late 1980s

03:33.635 --> 03:37.215
and the early 1990s was a phenomenon known

03:37.215 --> 03:38.535
as new public management.

03:39.335 --> 03:41.675
Uh, and to keep things very simple,

03:41.815 --> 03:44.435
new public management was really the application

03:45.015 --> 03:48.115
of business management techniques to, to the running

03:48.115 --> 03:49.675
of the government and public sector,

03:50.425 --> 03:52.495
which was considered revolutionary and,

03:52.515 --> 03:55.215
and was also resisted quite heavily

03:55.275 --> 03:56.375
in a number of countries.

03:56.995 --> 04:00.735
Uh, the United States arguably was at the forefront of this.

04:00.915 --> 04:04.095
But there's writers such as Christopher Hood, for instance,

04:04.195 --> 04:05.775
who, who kind of followed this closely.

04:05.995 --> 04:09.775
He was at the London School of Economics at the time,

04:09.795 --> 04:11.295
and he, he argued that

04:11.875 --> 04:14.895
New Zealand treasury was in fact putting together the first

04:15.775 --> 04:18.175
manifesto of what became the new public management.

04:18.835 --> 04:21.855
So this is idea that government can be run more efficiently

04:21.855 --> 04:25.655
and effectively by applying the techniques

04:26.235 --> 04:28.375
and the skills,

04:28.395 --> 04:32.015
and solutions that, that are on offer or private businesses.

04:33.095 --> 04:36.235
Um, and these ideas have, you know,

04:36.255 --> 04:38.355
didn't suddenly appear in the 1970s.

04:38.355 --> 04:41.795
They've been in circulation, you know, throughout,

04:41.935 --> 04:43.275
if you like, the 20th century.

04:44.095 --> 04:47.595
But I think the immediacy of the problem

04:47.735 --> 04:51.155
of big government spending that emerged, particularly

04:51.315 --> 04:55.115
during the economic crises of the 1970s, meant

04:55.115 --> 04:58.315
that politicians picked up on this,

04:58.415 --> 05:00.275
and started to feed it into their own

05:00.485 --> 05:02.155
government reform programs.

05:02.935 --> 05:06.035
So the argument was that a public sector manager,

05:06.465 --> 05:09.955
whether you are working in a, you know, government agency

05:10.415 --> 05:12.475
or a local authority

05:13.495 --> 05:17.795
or running a police service, should acquire the same kind

05:17.795 --> 05:18.955
of skills,

05:19.055 --> 05:21.195
and, aptitude, if you like,

05:21.255 --> 05:23.395
of their private sector counterparts.

05:24.215 --> 05:28.155
And the MBA program, became attractive

05:28.495 --> 05:30.315
to public sector managers.

05:30.315 --> 05:33.635
They felt that they could be more business-like,

05:33.655 --> 05:36.715
in inverted commerce and respond to the demands

05:36.715 --> 05:38.675
of the politicians who were saying, we need

05:38.675 --> 05:40.515
to reform what you are doing.

05:40.935 --> 05:44.955
We need to expose you to the discipline

05:45.015 --> 05:46.075
of the marketplace.

05:46.695 --> 05:49.435
Things that public sector managers were not familiar

05:49.435 --> 05:53.555
with at the time, and post experience programs like the MBA

05:54.025 --> 05:56.635
were seen as kind of use useful conversion

05:56.635 --> 05:58.205
mechanisms for doing this.

05:59.755 --> 06:04.135
But at the same time, MBA programs aimed at business, people

06:04.715 --> 06:09.215
missed some of the unfortunate, important features of,

06:09.355 --> 06:13.765
of the public sector, most usually the, the, the kind

06:13.765 --> 06:17.625
of political environment, within which,

06:17.765 --> 06:19.865
public sector managers operate.

06:20.445 --> 06:24.545
Uh, and, and so there was this kind of uneasy, if you like,

06:24.665 --> 06:27.865
reliance on, on business type programs

06:27.865 --> 06:30.745
that weren't always suitable for the business

06:30.745 --> 06:31.905
of running government.

06:32.295 --> 06:35.505
When people analyze the republic management,

06:35.565 --> 06:38.025
and some people argue that it's still happening,

06:38.515 --> 06:40.945
there are other people saying that it's evolved

06:41.085 --> 06:44.435
and that we should be talking about,

06:44.735 --> 06:46.795
what's called new public governance.

06:47.795 --> 06:50.905
Um, and that's kind of separate question, going back

06:50.905 --> 06:52.225
to your question, is that it

06:52.225 --> 06:53.385
looks different in different places.

06:54.135 --> 06:57.905
Yeah. So what might be easily implemented in,

06:57.965 --> 07:00.305
in the United Kingdom,

07:00.405 --> 07:04.065
has been resisted largely in places like France or Germany,

07:04.945 --> 07:06.425
although there might be some modifications.

07:07.605 --> 07:10.465
So there are kind of two pressures going on.

07:10.485 --> 07:12.025
The first pressure comes from

07:13.405 --> 07:15.505
the international community,

07:15.845 --> 07:17.505
and you mentioned europeanization.

07:18.365 --> 07:21.945
Um, you know, member countries were meant to harmonize

07:21.945 --> 07:24.345
and converge with around European Union policy

07:25.205 --> 07:29.905
and countries that exceeded the European Union,

07:29.905 --> 07:32.545
particularly those during the two thousands,

07:32.615 --> 07:35.305
ones I'm probably most familiar with in Eastern Europe,

07:35.375 --> 07:39.875
like Romania and Bulgaria had to align themselves with,

07:40.295 --> 07:41.835
the kind of demands

07:41.905 --> 07:45.155
that were coming from the European Commission in terms of

07:45.615 --> 07:46.995
how they managed their public sector.

07:48.265 --> 07:53.145
And these were mediated by the different political

07:53.145 --> 07:55.265
and administrative cultures in each country.

07:56.355 --> 08:00.535
And it's argued that, you know, if you look at some

08:00.535 --> 08:03.135
of the prime examples, if you like,

08:03.195 --> 08:05.535
of management in government, like the United States,

08:05.535 --> 08:09.695
Britain, New Zealand, these anglophone countries had very,

08:09.695 --> 08:11.975
very different administrative culture from that

08:11.975 --> 08:13.015
of continental Europe.

08:13.845 --> 08:16.905
Uh, and on continental Europe, status

08:17.045 --> 08:20.305
of civil servants were, were such that they were seen

08:20.325 --> 08:23.385
as being, part of government

08:23.385 --> 08:26.345
and largely resisted these kind of business like approaches.

08:26.765 --> 08:29.225
Not entirely, but this is a very broad brush thing.

08:29.695 --> 08:31.065
This, the other point relates

08:31.065 --> 08:34.555
to international organizations is that the OECD,

08:34.615 --> 08:37.155
for example, or, or,

08:37.535 --> 08:41.315
or the, world Bank, for instance, will have,

08:42.485 --> 08:44.545
attend, experts.

08:44.885 --> 08:48.025
Uh, and they, they're very good at producing papers

08:48.245 --> 08:51.915
and research that other countries

08:51.915 --> 08:54.435
who don't have this necessarily have the expertise

08:54.535 --> 08:57.045
or, the resources to,

08:57.105 --> 09:00.365
to engage in public management reform will we'll sit up

09:00.365 --> 09:01.445
and take notice of.

09:02.065 --> 09:03.725
Um, and so there's this kind

09:03.725 --> 09:06.245
of general international consensus around

09:07.025 --> 09:11.645
how government should be managed, which is a reflection of

09:12.345 --> 09:14.605
the new public management I was talking about.

09:15.265 --> 09:18.405
But there are difficulties in implementing it,

09:18.705 --> 09:21.045
and the difficulties usually come from, you know,

09:21.075 --> 09:25.205
opening up public sector organizations to market competition

09:25.415 --> 09:27.245
where markets might not exist.

09:27.585 --> 09:31.725
People fail to understand competition in situations

09:32.295 --> 09:33.405
where there's a high level

09:33.465 --> 09:35.925
of public sector corruption for whatever reason.

09:36.705 --> 09:41.365
So the use of contracts to deliver public services,

09:41.515 --> 09:43.565
runs into, difficulties.

09:43.805 --> 09:45.925
A lot of political corruption around,

09:45.945 --> 09:49.485
and of course resistance from the bureaucracy itself,

09:49.995 --> 09:53.765
basically bureaucrats and managers or human beings.

09:53.765 --> 09:56.125
And they don't like sudden rapid change

09:56.675 --> 10:00.725
that could undermine their status and authority,

10:00.825 --> 10:04.965
and expose themselves, if you like, to, to, to competition.

10:05.625 --> 10:07.845
So in Australia, for instance, they started moving,

10:08.625 --> 10:12.135
you know, senior public managers onto short term performance

10:12.135 --> 10:13.135
related contracts.

10:13.815 --> 10:16.155
Uh, and there was an argument that that would,

10:16.155 --> 10:18.955
that undermines un undermine, sorry, the,

10:19.095 --> 10:22.515
the public sector ethos that, you know, dedication

10:22.515 --> 10:23.955
to public service is not something that

10:24.735 --> 10:27.275
can be judged simply on, on the number

10:27.275 --> 10:28.795
of set number of outputs.

10:29.415 --> 10:31.515
Uh, very often the public sector produces things

10:31.545 --> 10:35.875
that people value, but can't always be quantified or,

10:36.295 --> 10:39.195
or reduced to, you know, an economic,

10:39.425 --> 10:41.515
calculation, new public management.

10:41.775 --> 10:45.355
And its subsequent variations, if you like,

10:45.625 --> 10:47.955
have been subject to internationalization,

10:48.535 --> 10:51.715
but they are played out very different ways in individual

10:52.155 --> 10:55.465
countries, countries in Southeast Asia,

10:55.725 --> 10:58.945
and on the surface, for example, you would think

10:58.945 --> 11:01.865
that Hong Kong and Singapore, very similar cases,

11:02.085 --> 11:04.625
but the way now are special administered region of China,

11:04.645 --> 11:06.545
but in those two regions, if you like,

11:06.725 --> 11:08.065
it is, is very different.

11:08.565 --> 11:11.065
And it's subject to, to local political environments

11:11.525 --> 11:12.825
and local political culture.

11:13.915 --> 11:14.975
So, you know, it's,

11:15.005 --> 11:16.695
it's not smooth, it's not straightforward.

11:16.915 --> 11:19.335
And the last thing I just want to add in relation to

11:19.335 --> 11:21.095
that is, just going back

11:21.095 --> 11:22.495
to the question about Europeanization,

11:23.215 --> 11:25.255
European Commission would be very conscious of this.

11:25.955 --> 11:29.415
Uh, and for countries that, wish

11:29.435 --> 11:30.975
to join the European Union

11:31.195 --> 11:33.095
or the new accession, the, the ones

11:33.095 --> 11:35.495
that have recently joined the European Union, they,

11:35.495 --> 11:38.175
they put in place twinning arrangements,

11:38.555 --> 11:41.935
to put into their bureaucracies expertise

11:41.935 --> 11:44.735
that would help them think about those reforms.

11:45.275 --> 11:47.055
Uh, and I've been personally involved,

11:47.425 --> 11:50.615
quite a few years ago with, a twinning arrangement

11:50.615 --> 11:53.015
between Estonia and Georgia.

11:53.455 --> 11:56.075
Uh, Georgia's not part of the European Union,

11:56.255 --> 11:59.245
but was EU aspirant at the time.

11:59.535 --> 12:03.805
Going back to the paper that we presented recently, it's

12:03.805 --> 12:08.465
because both my co-author and I are, I've taught on both MBA

12:08.465 --> 12:09.585
and MPA programs,

12:09.845 --> 12:13.005
and we've struck by the, the number of

12:13.625 --> 12:15.645
public sector managers that would choose

12:15.645 --> 12:17.895
to do an MBA program,

12:18.155 --> 12:20.655
but ultimately were frustrated by some

12:20.655 --> 12:22.815
of the content they felt didn't address their

12:22.825 --> 12:24.055
day-to-day concerns.

12:24.315 --> 12:27.775
You know, including, managing the political environment,

12:28.515 --> 12:33.295
understanding the policy process, you know, dealing

12:33.295 --> 12:35.055
with interest groups, things like that.

12:35.995 --> 12:40.935
Um, yet the MBA had more so-called credibility,

12:40.935 --> 12:45.255
because of its long establishment, the, the title

12:45.255 --> 12:47.575
of the paper that suggests, that the,

12:47.595 --> 12:49.895
the MBA almost has a court light status.

12:50.115 --> 12:53.735
And I've seen that written about certain, you know,

12:54.155 --> 12:56.095
Ivy League American schools.

12:56.435 --> 12:59.535
We wondered, if it was possible for the MPA to,

12:59.535 --> 13:01.135
to be elevated in a similar way.

13:01.515 --> 13:04.775
And this is the implication for, for European,

13:05.085 --> 13:08.935
post experience postgraduate qualifications,

13:08.935 --> 13:11.655
that the attractiveness of an MPA program needs

13:11.655 --> 13:14.735
to be revisited and that some of the best features

13:14.735 --> 13:17.055
of MBA programs could well be emulated.

13:17.595 --> 13:19.215
Um, because at the end of the day,

13:19.935 --> 13:24.615
although a functioning, thriving economy,

13:24.785 --> 13:29.015
which is managed well is very important for society,

13:29.515 --> 13:30.855
people demand

13:31.075 --> 13:34.055
and use public services as well, whether sometimes,

13:34.055 --> 13:35.415
whether they choose to or not,

13:35.515 --> 13:37.175
or whether they're aware of it or not.

13:37.795 --> 13:40.915
Uh and so it's just as important that,

13:40.915 --> 13:42.955
government is managed just as well as business.

13:43.655 --> 13:47.075
Um, so if you like, the rationale

13:47.695 --> 13:50.035
for these programs is, is pretty much the same.

13:51.625 --> 13:54.445
Uh, but we found that in some countries,

13:54.505 --> 13:56.605
the MPA is, is valued.

13:57.345 --> 13:59.525
Uh, and in other countries, not so much.

14:00.145 --> 14:05.045
So, for example, the UK we know is left the European Union,

14:05.305 --> 14:09.045
but even when we were part of the European Union, the MPA,

14:09.505 --> 14:12.445
was not particularly well valued

14:12.625 --> 14:14.605
by practicing public sector managers.

14:15.145 --> 14:18.885
Uh, and if they did go for postgraduate experience,

14:18.955 --> 14:21.725
they would choose sort of MBA or business type programs.

14:22.195 --> 14:25.485
Whereas in Europe, the MPA is, is, is kind of more popular.

14:25.865 --> 14:27.925
Uh, it, it's is better organized

14:28.665 --> 14:32.485
and has its own, professional accreditation,

14:32.535 --> 14:34.685
under the E-A-P-A-A.

14:35.555 --> 14:37.895
Um, and there are no UK universities

14:37.895 --> 14:41.215
that have E-A-P-A-A accreditation.

14:41.555 --> 14:44.455
For example, plenty of MBA association

14:44.455 --> 14:46.295
of MBA accreditations, but not that.

14:47.165 --> 14:50.865
Um, and it's to do with political cultures, it's to do with

14:50.965 --> 14:54.725
Status of public servants, how well they're valued.

14:55.465 --> 15:00.005
And it's particularly popular, in places like China,

15:00.235 --> 15:03.845
that see MPAs as a vehicle, if you like,

15:04.025 --> 15:08.205
for wide widespread public sector management improvement.

Exploring the MPA's Role and Significance

00:00:00 - The MPA stands for Masters in Public Administration, and its history is almost as long as that of its better known and more celebrated, sister of qualification, the, the MBA Master in Business Administration. except that it's probably hasn't got the same amount of attention simply because it's about managing in government and, and the public sector. so like the NBA, its roots are American,
00:00:35 - to various degrees. Whereas the MBA has generally become the accepted, post experience qualification for business managers. The MBA has not had the same amount of traction, but it's, it's what's called a post experience degree, like the MBA in that it's, a degree the postgraduate award offered to practicing public sector managers who
00:01:05 - and seniority within the organization. So that's what it pretty much shares with the MBA. But obviously there are things in the curriculum that are different, and there are some things that are similar. and I can talk about the, the diff key differences if, if you, if you like later. But the MPA program is the post experience award for, public administration. What the literature has done over recent years has, if anything, has increased, if you like, demand
00:01:36 - and I'll explain that in short if I can. but certainly since the high, so-called high water Growth of Public Expenditure, which was perceived to have been reached in the United States in the kind of late sixties versus what I've argue that it's peaked, if you like, with, with expenditure on the Vietnam War. economists started to question, unsustainable levels of public spending
00:02:08 - what governments might do, to curb excessive public expenditure. And a number of suggestions were put forward that were then internationalized and popularized, if you like, across the world, because they seem to offer good solutions to, to big government. and in the uk for example, the government in waiting on the Margaret Thatcher,
00:02:41 - American economists over to the Institute for Economic Affairs to listen to, their proposals for reforming the public sector. and this gave rise to something called Public Choice Theory, which was basically an economic analysis of, of political behavior and how government bureaucrats behave. I'm, I'm slowly coming to the point where, where there's relevance here for, the, the MPA programs,

Evolution of New Public Management Techniques

00:03:14 - and writers seized upon this strand of economic thought and started devising reforms that would replicate this kind of economic analysis to public sector organizations. And the result that emerged in the 19, the late 1980s and the early 1990s was a phenomenon known as new public management. and to keep things very simple,
00:03:45 - of business management techniques to, to the running of the government and public sector, which was considered revolutionary and, and was also resisted quite heavily in a number of countries. the United States arguably was at the forefront of this. But there's writers such as Christopher Hood, for instance, who, who kind of followed this closely. He was at the London School of Economics at the time, and he, he argued that
00:04:15 - manifesto of what became the new public management. So this is idea that government can be run more efficiently and effectively by applying the techniques and the skills, and solutions that, that are on offer or private businesses. and these ideas have, you know, didn't suddenly appear in the 1970s. They've been in circulation, you know, throughout,
00:04:44 - But I think the immediacy of the problem of big government spending that emerged, particularly during the economic crises of the 1970s, meant that politicians picked up on this, and started to feed it into their own government reform programs. So the argument was that a public sector manager, whether you are working in a, you know, government agency or a local authority
00:05:17 - of skills, and, aptitude, if you like, of their private sector counterparts. And the MBA program, became attractive to public sector managers. They felt that they could be more business-like, in inverted commerce and respond to the demands of the politicians who were saying, we need to reform what you are doing. We need to expose you to the discipline
00:05:46 - Things that public sector managers were not familiar with at the time, and post experience programs like the MBA were seen as kind of use useful conversion mechanisms for doing this. But at the same time, MBA programs aimed at business, people missed some of the unfortunate, important features of, of the public sector, most usually the, the, the kind of political environment, within which,

Challenges in Public Management and Governance

00:06:20 - and, and so there was this kind of uneasy, if you like, reliance on, on business type programs that weren't always suitable for the business of running government. When people analyze the republic management, and some people argue that it's still happening, there are other people saying that it's evolved and that we should be talking about, what's called new public governance.
00:06:50 - to your question, is that it looks different in different places. Yeah. So what might be easily implemented in, in the United Kingdom, has been resisted largely in places like France or Germany, although there might be some modifications. So there are kind of two pressures going on. The first pressure comes from the international community, and you mentioned europeanization.
00:07:21 - and converge with around European Union policy and countries that exceeded the European Union, particularly those during the two thousands, ones I'm probably most familiar with in Eastern Europe, like Romania and Bulgaria had to align themselves with, the kind of demands that were coming from the European Commission in terms of how they managed their public sector. And these were mediated by the different political
00:07:56 - And it's argued that, you know, if you look at some of the prime examples, if you like, of management in government, like the United States, Britain, New Zealand, these anglophone countries had very, very different administrative culture from that of continental Europe. and on continental Europe, status of civil servants were, were such that they were seen as being, part of government
00:08:26 - Not entirely, but this is a very broad brush thing. This, the other point relates to international organizations is that the OECD, for example, or, or, or the, world Bank, for instance, will have, attend, experts. and they, they're very good at producing papers and research that other countries who don't have this necessarily have the expertise
00:08:57 - to engage in public management reform will we'll sit up and take notice of. and so there's this kind of general international consensus around how government should be managed, which is a reflection of the new public management I was talking about. But there are difficulties in implementing it, and the difficulties usually come from, you know, opening up public sector organizations to market competition

Challenges in Public Sector Competition and Management

00:09:27 - People fail to understand competition in situations where there's a high level of public sector corruption for whatever reason. So the use of contracts to deliver public services, runs into, difficulties. A lot of political corruption around, and of course resistance from the bureaucracy itself, basically bureaucrats and managers or human beings. And they don't like sudden rapid change
00:10:00 - and expose themselves, if you like, to, to, to competition. So in Australia, for instance, they started moving, you know, senior public managers onto short term performance related contracts. and there was an argument that that would, that undermines un undermine, sorry, the, the public sector ethos that, you know, dedication to public service is not something that can be judged simply on, on the number
00:10:29 - very often the public sector produces things that people value, but can't always be quantified or, or reduced to, you know, an economic, calculation, new public management. And its subsequent variations, if you like, have been subject to internationalization, but they are played out very different ways in individual countries, countries in Southeast Asia, and on the surface, for example, you would think
00:11:02 - but the way now are special administered region of China, but in those two regions, if you like, it is, is very different. And it's subject to, to local political environments and local political culture. So, you know, it's, it's not smooth, it's not straightforward. And the last thing I just want to add in relation to that is, just going back to the question about Europeanization, European Commission would be very conscious of this. and for countries that, wish
00:11:31 - or the new accession, the, the ones that have recently joined the European Union, they, they put in place twinning arrangements, to put into their bureaucracies expertise that would help them think about those reforms. and I've been personally involved, quite a few years ago with, a twinning arrangement between Estonia and Georgia. Georgia's not part of the European Union, but was EU aspirant at the time.
00:12:03 - because both my co-author and I are, I've taught on both MBA and MPA programs, and we've struck by the, the number of public sector managers that would choose to do an MBA program, but ultimately were frustrated by some of the content they felt didn't address their day-to-day concerns. You know, including, managing the political environment, understanding the policy process, you know, dealing

Elevating MPA Credibility to MBA Standards

00:12:35 - yet the MBA had more so-called credibility, because of its long establishment, the, the title of the paper that suggests, that the, the MBA almost has a court light status. And I've seen that written about certain, you know, Ivy League American schools. We wondered, if it was possible for the MPA to, to be elevated in a similar way. And this is the implication for, for European,
00:13:08 - that the attractiveness of an MPA program needs to be revisited and that some of the best features of MBA programs could well be emulated. because at the end of the day, although a functioning, thriving economy, which is managed well is very important for society, people demand and use public services as well, whether sometimes, whether they choose to or not,
00:13:37 - and so it's just as important that, government is managed just as well as business. so if you like, the rationale for these programs is, is pretty much the same. but we found that in some countries, the MPA is, is valued. and in other countries, not so much. So, for example, the UK we know is left the European Union, but even when we were part of the European Union, the MPA,
00:14:12 - by practicing public sector managers. and if they did go for postgraduate experience, they would choose sort of MBA or business type programs. Whereas in Europe, the MPA is, is, is kind of more popular. it, it's is better organized and has its own, professional accreditation, under the E-A-P-A-A. and there are no UK universities that have E-A-P-A-A accreditation.
00:15:04 - of MBA accreditations, but not that. and it's to do with political cultures, it's to do with Status of public servants, how well they're valued. And it's particularly popular, in places like China, that see MPAs as a vehicle, if you like, for wide widespread public sector management improvement.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Research

Policy

Analysis