REFORMING PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

India’s development strategy has evolved over successive plan periods, reflecting the growing strength of our economy, structural transformations taking place in the domestic economy and also developments in the world economy. The reforms process, which has been underway for some years, has now yielded many good results and must continue. The reforms involve a major reorientation of the role of state. Instead of being a pervasive controller of private sector activity, and also a direct producer in many areas through majority-owned public sector enterprises, the state must rather play a different role. The roles of the state and private sector are to be viewed as complementary and equally essential. Government interventions must emanate from a vision of the role and responsibility of state policy and public action. Review and reform in public policy and management must assume great significance at this juncture.

The book originates from extensive research work carried out on the management of public systems in select areas of topical interest such as administrative reforms, financing of local bodies, public-private mix, rural development strategies, civil services, the new approach to governance in states, patterns of management education, financing of primary and secondary education, management development and training, social safety net, performance appraisal in public enterprises and environmental management.

The book presents the public dimension of the reforms process encompassing varied spheres of public-government-private sector interface. The contents would interest public sector managers, private corporate sector, NGOs, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and researchers and students of public policy, management and economics