The Rise of a New Public Bureaucracy in New Zealand?

Abstract

One recurrent narrative in the discussion about managerial public sector reforms is the growth in organizational professionals as a response to new accountability regimes. New Zealand has experienced modest growth rates in the general public sector workforce. Less studied, though, is whether the composition of the public sector workforce has changed, with an increase in organizational functions supportive to management. Based on descriptive workforce data, followed by follow-up interviews, this article presents a multifaceted and complex picture of a growing new public bureaucracy with the main task of managing chains of accountability.

Consultancies in public administration

“…96, 188). Löfgren and co‐authors report that in a New Zealand public agency the number of consultants per government employee increased from 7 for each 100 in 2009 to 50 for each 100 in 2019 (Löfgren et al, 2022, p. 74). In these countries, there has been a positive association between the administrative aims of efficiency and efficacy with the notion that parties engaging in private competition have a grasp of current best practices 1 .…”