| Titre | La réforme du système administratif portugais : New Public Management ou Etat néo-wébèrien ? | |
|---|---|---|
| Auteur | Mme Joana Mendes, doctorante en droit à l'Institut universitaire européen, maître de conférence associée au centre de l'aménagement du territoire de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement, université Coïmbra | |
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Revue | Revue française d'administration publique |
| Numéro | no 119, décembre 2006 | |
| Page | 533 | |
| Résumé anglais |
The reform of the Portuguese public administration :
New Public Management or Neo Weberian State ?.
The article analysis the recent process of reform undergone by the Portuguese public
administration, begun in 2004 under the Social democrat government and continued in
2006 under the Socialist government. It acknowledges that the reform introduces aspects
of managerialism, but sustains that the concept of “neo-Weberian state” (developed by
Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckaert) describes more adequately than that of new
public management the features of the Portuguese Administration as shaped by this
reform. The reform is situated in a context of financial pressure resulting from the need
to comply with the requirements of the Growth and Stability Pact in the context of
European monetary integration. However, some of its measures can only be fully
understood in the framework of the evolution of Portuguese public Administration, since
they are directed at tackling specific dysfunctions that resulted from changes occurred in
the three decades that preceded. A brief look at this evolution will identify some of the
persistent problems that the current reform of the public Administration sought to
alleviate. The article gives an account of the measures adopted, underlines the influence
of managerialism (as well as of contractualism, less influential in this reform) but also the
Weberian traits that persist, demonstrating that the reforms of 2004-2006 have not
inscribed in the Portuguese public administration characteristics that could be fully
captured by the concept of new public management. Furthermore, it underlines the bias
of the reform program of 2006 towards reducing the number of administrative structures
and addresses the question of whether this organic restructuring implies a reduction of
the welfare functions performed by the State. It stresses the complexity of the question
posed and the fact that a possible answer given on the basis of the analysis undertaken,
is a limited one. Nevertheless, it argues that the reform is directed mainly at the redesign
and reallocation of formal functions within the structure of the Administration (executive
functions, consultative functions, management of resources), not resulting necessarily in
a substantial reduction of welfare state functions. In doing so, it acknowledges the
normative conception of the State underlying the reform and the possible need to review
this conclusion in light of further developments. Source : Éditeur (via Cairn.info) |
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| Article en ligne | http://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=RFAP_119_0533 |
