Lecture 3
Subject: What is public management?
Reading: Laurence Lynn Article

Definition of Public Management (PM)
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Using management thinking and strategies in government
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Minimal (Small) government
Use of Business ideas and practices in the public sector
Use of private sector managers in the public sector

Definition of Public Management (PM)
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PM is a world of settled institutions designed
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 to allow imperfect people to use flawed procedures to cope with insoluble problems.

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Art (Craft)
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Requiring managerial insight and experience
Science
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Is there really a generic and universal management science
Other Categories
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Institutions (Structure)
People (Practitioners)

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Common sense
Non-logical aspects of being a successful public manager
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Timely reactions
Intuitive insights
Good judgments

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Governance
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Several types of organizations that work for public interest
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Government organizations
Private firms
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NGOs
The key
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Ensuring a satisfactory balance among competing interests and values

Transition from Classic PA to PM
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Classic PA
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Law and responsibility-oriented
Constitutional arrangements are vital
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Maximizing public interest, not profits
PM
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Small government, that is run like a business
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Government organizations not being the only actor
(Governance)

Transition from Classic PA to PM
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PM
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As a special focus in PA
A major segment in the broader field of PA
“Kamu işletmeciliği” in Turkish
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As opposed to “kamu yönetimi”
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Ömürgönülşen Chapter in Çağdaş Kamu
Yönetimi-1 Book

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Growing unpopularity of the government, beginning from late 1970s
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Decreasing trust in government
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Numerous government scandals
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Vietnam War, Watergate, Iran-Contra…

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Decreasing government revenues
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Oil crises of the 1970s
Doing more (the same) with less
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More emphasis on efficiency and performance management

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Lesson drawing and knowledge transfer between business and PA is useful
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Should never be rejected on ideological grounds
The heroes and entrepreneurs found in case studies should not overshadow the importance of government institutions

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Tensions between
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Making managers manage
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Control over managerial discretion
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Letting managers manage
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Emphasizing managerial performance more than compliance with formal rules and procedures

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How to control a businesslike PA (PM)?
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Internal Control
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Self control of public managers
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Professional and ethical values
External Control
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Control of legislature, executive and the courts

How to control public managers?
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Friedrich & Finer debate of 1940
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External Control (Finer)
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Controlling every little detail of the public managers` job
Internal Control (Friedrich)
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Public managers can be controlled by their professionalism

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Which value(s) should public managers chose?
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Values for providing public services
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Public interest
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Freedom
Justice
Balancing the interests of different, sometimes conflicting stakeholders
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PM is the extension of the political process of adjustment among interests

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Values regarding the public manager
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Professionalism
Dedication
Constitutional legitimacy
Accountability
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Directly to the executive, legislature and the judiciary
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Indirectly to the people