Public Management and Co-Production

Abstract

Like non-identical twins separated at birth, co-production and public management have been connected with but distanced from each other since the 1970s. This chapter considers co-production and public management and the relationship between them. It shows how New Public Management (NPM) or managerialism is largely derived from and similar to corporate management. The essence of public management involves focusing on results rather than processes, giving managers the autonomy, means and incentives to achieve those results. Performance measurement is a central feature of public management. It informs the articulation of objectives, the assignment of responsibilities and the allocation of rewar..