Background
Reforms of the 1980s and 1990s were shaped by New Public Management, which Hood (1991) characterised by performance measurement, competition and private-sector techniques; Osborne and Gaebler (1992) urged government to steer rather than row. The Denhardts (2000) argued this treated citizens as customers and weakened democracy and the public interest; government should serve rather than steer.
Seven principles
The Denhardts (2000, 2015) proposed seven principles: serve citizens, not customers; seek the public interest; value citizenship over entrepreneurship; think strategically, act democratically; recognise that accountability is not simple; serve rather than steer; and value people, not just productivity. Collaboration with citizens (Vigoda, 2002), coproduction and collaborative governance fit this view.
Assessment and critiques
NPS is credited with restoring democratic values to administration but criticised as a normative manifesto short on institutional design and evidence. It is seen as one of several post-NPM alternatives, alongside Osborne's (2006) New Public Governance and Bryson et al.'s (2014) public value governance.
FAQ
- What is the New Public Service in simple terms?
- Government should not act like a firm serving customers but as a servant building the public interest with citizens.
- How does it differ from NPM?
- NPM stresses efficiency and markets; the New Public Service stresses democratic citizenship and the public interest.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Denhardt, R. B., & Denhardt, J. V. (2000). The new public service: Serving rather than steering. Public Administration Review, 60(6), 549–559. The article that introduced the New Public Service and its seven principles.
- Denhardt, J. V., & Denhardt, R. B. (2015). The new public service: Serving, not steering (4th ed.). Routledge. The book-length statement of the theory.
- Hood, C. (1991). A public management for all seasons? Public Administration, 69(1), 3–19. The classic account of New Public Management that NPS critiques.
- Osborne, D., & Gaebler, T. (1992). Reinventing government: How the entrepreneurial spirit is transforming the public sector. Addison-Wesley. The 'steering, not rowing' book NPS responded to.
- Vigoda, E. (2002). From responsiveness to collaboration: Governance, citizens, and the next generation of public administration. Public Administration Review, 62(5), 527–540. Moves from responsiveness to collaboration with citizens.
- Osborne, S. P. (2006). The new public governance? Public Management Review, 8(3), 377–387. Proposes New Public Governance as a post-NPM paradigm.
- Bryson, J. M., Crosby, B. C., & Bloomberg, L. (2014). Public value governance: Moving beyond traditional public administration and the New Public Management. Public Administration Review, 74(4), 445–456. Compares old public administration, NPM and public value governance.