THE NPM AGENDA: BACK TO THE FUTURE

The New Public Management agenda for change has been extremely influential. This paper considers future developments in NPM. In this evaluation of the future of NPM it is argued that the complexity of NPM – in concept and in practice – requires a multi-dimensional consideration of what NPM is and what it will become. In this paper, NPM is explained around three key dimensions: (1) management processes; (2) mechanisms of change, and (3) constraints. Within these three dimensions, nine key elements of NPM implementation are discussed. This paper concludes that the pressures for NPM will not abate. However, its evolution will continue to be severely contested. © 2008, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.