The new managerialism in the public service : a case study regarding the delegation of the disciplinary procedures to heads of department

Abstract

The "new managerialism" in the public service can be translated as the implementation of New Public Management (NPM) techniques within the public service of Malta. This study reviews the application of the new public management within the governing institutions of a small island state like Malta. First of all, this study outlines the main components of the new public management model. This replaced the traditional model of public administration. Its proponents claim to provide a solution to the administrative dysfunctions of the public administration model. Another aim of this study is to illustrate the development of the various reform initiatives which were introduced in the Maltese public service since 1988, to implement the new public management principles. This study also seeks to discover how, and to what extent, the new public management was implemented in the Maltese public service. In order, to fulfill this latter aim, a case study exercise was resorted to, so as to analyze the outcome of a particular reform initiative: the delegation of disciplinary authority to Heads of Department.