New Public Management and Its Myths

Abstract

Emphasizing that both the traditional Public Administration and the New Public Management (NPM) are influenced
by the processes of public policy, which affect the content of the public management theories, the article
states that every management theory applied in policy processes is covered by some rhetorical “noise” and outcomes
of such “noise”- myths of the New Public Management - are analysed. The author shows that these myths
can be easily criticized and warns about the danger that application of these myths can damage the application of
the NPM as the source of reforms in practical policy.