CAN THE NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT STRENGTHEN GOVERNEMENTAL TRANSPARENCY?: THE CASE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The article explores whether the new public management style reforms (NPM) and those aimed to promoting transparency in the public sector are compatible, i.e., if they reinforce each other, or if they are contradictory. In order to answer this question, the article proposes to analyze the synergies and tensions which exist between transparency and one of the most frequently used tools in the arsenal of the NPM: performance management. In order to accomplish this, different ways of understanding the concept of transparency are presented and various strategies adopted by performance management are identified. Subsequently, synergies and potential contradictions between the management of performance and transparency are identified. The main conclusion is that the relationship between these two concepts is highly contextual, i.e., it depends on the type of organization, the attitudes adopted by those involved, and when and how information about performance management is published. Consequently, the need of designing both transparency and performance management regimes, to appropriately respond to specific contexts and requirements, is emphasized.