The Imperatives of Comparative Public Administration and New Public Management in a Changing Global Environment

Abstract

Public administration provides the machinery for the smooth operation of governments in a state. The comparative approach to the study of public administration emphasises systematic and organised way of seeking knowledge which underscores the dominance of theory building and research that is based on empirical foundations. The study explained the concepts of comparative public administration as well as public administration in a changing global environment by analyzing the origin and characteristics of the New Public Management (NPM). The study has adopted the Bureaucratic System Approach. The study is qualitative, using secondary data sources, obtained from the existing literature such as journal articles, books, published research reports, the internet and various works in the areas of public administration and comparative public administration in selected countries. The study concluded that public administration is ever relevant in a changing global environment. It made far-reaching recommendations such as the need to accord public administration its right of place in running the affairs of a state, imperative of public reforms and the urgent need to minimize corruption in the public sector to allow for enhanced service delivery.