New Public Management: Challenge for Sri Lanka

Abstract

This article reviews the history of public sector reforms in Sri Lanka and examines Sri Lanka’s recent experiments with NPM. Interviews with ministers, former ministers and senior bureaucrats focused on their level of understanding of NPM, the extent of implementation, the impact on the relationship between bureaucrats and politicians, and related issues for Sri Lanka. The evidence shows that some elements of NPM are already apparent in Sri Lanka and further elements are likely to be adopted. These reforms will demand new skills and attitudes on the part of both bureaucrats and politicians. New initiatives to improve transparency in public sector management need to be developed and implemented, but it is questionable whether the necessary political commitment exists for such reforms.