Chile: public administration after the New Public Management
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Date
2021
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Edward Elgar Publishing
Abstract
NPM-style public sector reform policies were implemented in the Chilean public administration in the 90s and in the first years of the new century. The outcome of those reforms shows that this type of interventions yield intended and unintended consequences. This article focuses on three key issues: public employment, performance management systems and a new approach to address the politics-administration dichotomy, where these, sometimes contradictory, effects take place. After presenting the situation of the Chilean public administration in these three areas, three theoretical issues are drawn to add elements to the academic and professional discussion in our field. In particular, the article addresses the topics of routinization of administrative procedures, the challenge of controlling and monitoring performance, and the politics and administration again and again. Finally, the discussion presented in this chapter shows the need for more comparative and international studies for having a better understanding of public administration reform.