TOWARDS A NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT MODEL - BEYOND MANAGERIALISM AND ITS CRITICS

With the debate about ''managerialism'' stuck in a hole, there are cal ls for a new model of public sector management. Drawing on practical a nd theoretical developments, this article seeks to move the discussion forward by analysing the protagonists' positions. It argues that neit her the managerialists nor their critics give a proper account of the task and context of public sector management, and advances an alternat ive conception. It uses this conception to assess the administrative p rescriptions of the two camps, and suggests an alternative approach, o ne consistent with the actual practice of the most innovative of the m anagerial reformers.