China's 1998 Administrative Reform and New Public Management: Applying a Comparative Framework

Abstract Does New Public Management (NPM) represent a global paradigm shift? Is China's 1998 administrative reform really a variation of NPM? This paper argues that resemblance does not equal convergence, and institutional background has to be considered. It proposes that comparing administrative reforms should address the institutional context around the relationships among democracy, politics, administration, society, business, and citizen. Utilizing this framework, it analyzes the technical, strategic, and consequential dimension of China's 1998 reform. The analysis suggests that the NPM agenda is different from, and inappropriate for, the Chinese reform. The lesson from China's experience can be applied to other authoritarian or developing countries. Keywords: China administrative reformnew public management Notes 1. Aucoin, P. The New Public Management: Canada in Comparative Perspective; Institute for Research for Public Policy: Montreal, 1995.; Barzelay, M. 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The system was introduced in 1984 and refined in 1993 with the Provisional Regulation on State Civil Servants, which stressed scientific management in areas such as the duties of civil servants, job categories and positions, recruitment process, appraisal procedures, rewards and discipline, transfer, resignation, and retirement. 40. The ratio should be lower than 50% by Western standard. 41. In general, the economic policy of developing countries targets not only economic growth but also structural changes toward economic, social, and political modernization (Liou, 1999). 42. Chan, A. In Search of a Civil Society in China. Journal of Contemporary Asia 1997, 27(2), 242–251.; Pye, L. The State and the Individual: An Overview Interpretation. In The Individual and the State in China; Hook, Brian, Eds.; Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1996; 16–42. 43. Madsen, R. 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The "alarm level" is generally set at 0.4. 52. "Management" means the judicious use of means to accomplish an end that is already set, while "administration" means a process of collaboration in determining the end and the means. 54. Liu, Z. The Major Problems of Chinese Governmental Organizations. Strategy & Management (Chinese) 1999, 5, 90–95.; Straussman, J. D.; Zhang, M. Chinese Administrative Reforms in International Perspective. The International Journal of Public Sector Management 2001, 14(5), 411–422. 55. Straussman & Zhang, 2001; Worthley, J. A.; Tsao, K. K. Reinventing Government in China: A Comparative Analysis. Administrative & Society 1999, 31(5), 571–587. 56. Li, J. Bureaucratic Restructure in Reforming China: A Redistribution of Political Power. East Asian Institute, working paper, National University of Singapore, 1998. 59. Stephenson, M. C. A Trojan Horse Behind Chinese Walls? Problems and Prospects of US-Sponsored 'Rule of Law' Reform Projects in the People's Republic of China. Center for International Development, working paper, Harvard University, 2000. 62. The numbers in this paragraph and the following paragraph come from Liu (2003), Burns (2003), and reports from the State Council and the Chinese Public Administration Society. 64. Burns, 2003. 71. Of course, one cannot be sure if it is because of the restructuring measures or the social and cultural developments along with the marketization process. 73. Wamsley & Dudley, 1998, 21(2–4), 323–374.

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