Research On The New Public Administration

In the history of the theoretical development of public administration, the New Public Administration plays an important and special role. In the sixties and seventies of the 20th century, the social turbulence of the United States, dissatisfaction with the research status quo of social science, challenges to the formal institutions (family, government, universities, churches, media, etc.) and deep awareness of various social problems at that time, especially the social and economic inequality and the suitable role that the administrators should play prompted the emergence of the New Public Administration, which intends to review problems of the theory and practice of public administration. Therefore, the emergence of the New Public Administration is not only the inevitable result of the public administration development but also a response of the American social reform in the sixties of the 20th century.Faced with the legitimacy crisis and academic identity crisis, the New Public Administration carried out criticism and reflection on the theoretical basis of traditional public administration and its research method from the philosophical and value level. The New Public Administration stresses on the publicness of public administration and is against the politic-administration dichotomy and value-neutrality. The New Public Administration believes that pure value-neutrality in public administration doesn't exist, and the concept that avoid making value judgments would make administrators far from the legitimacy as well as the social needs. In the public administration study, normative research is not only inevitable but also indispensable. The New Public Administration argues that efficiency is the goal of public administration, but it should not be its only value; values such as equity and responsibility should be emptied into public administration process and a value system which take the social equity as the core value and coexist with others values such as democracy, responsibility and efficiency should be constructed. The New Public Administration pays attentions to achieve the public interest especially the interests of those disadvantaged. The New Public Administration believes that public administration should be the positions of achieving social equity. The New Public Administration stresses that administrators should make value judgments depending on their professional knowledge enable them to be used for the society, and then make them to be the change advocates based on deep understanding of social problems. The New Public Administration not only puts forward the views that compete with the mainstream values of public administration then, but also oversteps the positivist research methods of traditional public administration by applying the phenomenology and critical theory to public administration research, so that public administration research has a more broad and open perspective.The tradition and theoretical propositions of the New Public Administration was founded at the first Minnowbrook Conference (Minnowbrookâ… ,1968), and continued through the second Minnowbrook Conference (Minnowbrookâ…¡,1988) and the third Minnowbrook Conference (Minnowbrook,2008). Although the origins, processes and themes of Minnowbrookâ… , Minnowbrookâ…¡and Minnowbrookâ…¢are different, they are all of great significance and impact to the development of theory and practice of public administration. However, in real essence, the New Public Administration tries to construct the democratic administration within the bureaucratic model. It hopes to transcend the bureaucratic model but doesn't realize its aim. At the same time, for the reason of lacking solid theory foundations and operational institutional architecture, the New Public Administration doesn't become the dominant paradigm in public administration, and its influence can not be extended to the whole academic areas in the process of its development.Although the New Public Administration cannot be able to put forth practical answers to deficiencies of the traditional administrative theory and it is also criticized and questioned by other public administration scholars. However, the New Public Administration do make sharp criticism to the mainstream of public administration theory, and point out where the problem lies, which has an important significance in prompting people to rethink the position and the future of public administration. The New Public Administration has injected a new force to the traditional public academic, which makes the government begin to attach importance to relations with the external environment, to face real problems and to re-address the status and needs of the object of governmental services. It also requested that the need of the public should be regarded as the axis of the functioning administrative system, thereby giving the government functions a new position and influences the performance of governmental functions. The New Public Administration lays a good foundation for the development of public administration for nearly half a century. Whether the democratic administration theories after it, or the New Public Management movement are all deeply impacted by it. Therefore, as a movement or trend, the New Public Administration is basically successful. Under the background of building the socialist harmonious society and deepening the administrative reform, The New Public Administration's concerns about the publicness of government and it's pursuit of social equity and democratic administration, has a realistic significance and a value of inspiration for Chinese administration reform.Based on the first-hand materials and the present research results of other scholars, this study makes a pectination to the backgrounds, theory foundations and main standpoints of the New Public Administration thoroughly and systematically. Meanwhile, in order to know the New Public Administration comprehensively and thoroughly, the study estimates the theoretical contributions and limitations of the New Public Administration objectively and rationally. Based on above, the study investigates the revelations of the New Public Administration to the value orientation and behavioral choice for Chinese administration reform.The dissertation is divided into five parts:Partâ… :Introduction. It mainly introduces the reasons of the topic, its research status quo at home and abroad, research methods, research ideas etc.Partâ…¡:The emergency and development of the New Public Administration.The social turbulence of the 60's in the United States is the background of the emergency of the New Public Administration. Phenomenology, human relation theory, the revolution of post-behaviorism, as well as the revival of political philosophy produced significant impacts on the emergency of the New Public Administration, and all of these become academic background and important theoretical basis of the emergency of the New Public Administration. This part at last systematically combed the development process of the New Public Administration:origins, process, and themes of the three Minnowbrook Conferences, this part also compared and analyzed the three Conferences.Partâ…¢:The theoretical proposition of the New Public Administration. The New Public Administration based on the criticism and reflection of the traditional public administration and put forward a view that competing with the mainstream values of public administration. This part analyses and synthesizes the main theoretical proposition of the New Public Administration:the reconstruction of public philosophy and public theory; advocating of the normative research and value problems; active advocating of the social equity and social justice; emphasis on the civic spirit and civic participation; emphasis on the administrative ethics and administrative responsibility; seeking for change and construction of a new organizational form.Partâ…£:The reflection, criticism and impacts of the New Public Administration. This part systematically combs the doubts and criticisms to the New Public Administration from other scholars, reflects and analyses the theoretical limitations of the New Public Administration. Based on the former analysis, the author puts forward the view:although the New Public Administration had a significant impact on the development of public administration theory and practice, but it doesn't achieve the object of shifting the paradigm of public administration theory; the New Public Administration is not intended to replace the mainstream theory of public administration, it is a supplementary and development to the main stream theory. The last of this part introduced the follow-up development of the public administration:the Blacksburg Manifesto, the New Public Management movement and their relationship with the New Public Administration.Part V:Revelation of China's administrative reform from the New Public Administration. Apply what we learn, theoretical study should provide guidance for practice. The last part of this thesis analyses the reference and inspiration of the New Public Administration to China's administrative reform combining the current situation of China especially the problems and challenges that public administration faced:Public administration should regard equality and justice as its core values; justice of institution is an important guarantee for social equality and justice; the cultivation of public spirit is an effective way to achieve social equality and justice.