竞争驱动下的公共服务第三方外包——“新公共管理”在中国地方政府的实践

The Competition-driven Public Service Outsourcing——"New Public Management" in Chinese Local Governments

公共服务的第三方外包属于"新公共管理"范式的一种形式。自20世纪80年代以来,新公共管理在西方国家公共部门掀起了以市场为导向的改革政府的潮流,强调运用私营部门的管理方法和竞争机制。然而,在与西方发达国家政府运行机制存在巨大差异的中国,笔者也发现了政府开展新公共管理改革的实例。新公共管理改革的基本动力从本质上来自于政府面对的外部压力。在中国,地方政府间存在着经济绩效和晋升机遇方面的竞争。引入新公共管理可以提高地方政府的公共服务的供给效率,打造更有吸引力和竞争力的地方政府。

Public service outsourcing is a form of 'new public management'(NPM). Since the 1980s, the NPM has created a movement towards market-oriented government reform in the public sector of western countries, with an emphasis on using the management approach and the competitive mechanism found in the private sector. Even in China, where the government's operational mechanism differs tremendously from that of developed western countries, the authors also found NPM reform at work in the local governments. This article argues that the driving force behind NPM reform comes from the external pressure facing the government. In China, local governments compete with each other over economic performance and consequent promotion opportunities. The introduction of NPM can make local governments more efficient in providing public services, which can result in local governments attracting more investments and enhancing competitiveness.