Tensiones y Proyecciones en la Modernización de la Gestión Pública: Discusión desde una perspectiva histórico-cultural

Abstract

Public management reforms promoted by New Public Management (NPM) have produced several modifications to the structure and administrative processes, distancing them from the classic bureaucratic paradigms. However, the potential of this reform movement and its controversies have marked the implementation of reforms that claim to be inspired by it, opening a debate concerning its content and its sustainability over time. A central aspect of this controversy is the degree of adjustment between the assumptions underlying NPM and a culture where public administration is predominant. In this article, we review some critical issues identified in the implementation and operation of management models inspired by NPM. We propose an analytical perspective that places cultural factors within the context of public sector reform, integrating them as an axis in the management of change within public organizations, and assuming them as a condition and necessary resource for an adequate and sustainable reform, and not as an obstacle towards it.