基于新公共管理视角的瓦格纳定律之现实评析

Realistic Comment on the Wagner's Law:Based on Perspective of New Public Management Movement

伴随着公共管理的不断发展,尤其是新公共管理运动的滥觞及其在全世界范围内的衍化,使得瓦格纳定律不仅从理念上而且从实践上都遭遇了严峻挑战。一方面,新公共管理运动通过实施政府职能优化、分权化改革、公共人事制度改革以及社会保障制度改革等一系列措施,直接削减了财政支出规模;另一方面,由工业化(或所谓后工业化)所衍生的经济、政治、社会需求的持续扩张,在新公共管理理念之下催生了多元化的供给主体和多种形式的供给方式(体现为公共产品供应机制改革),客观上间接缓解了政府财政的压力。以上两方面力量共同作用,为限制财政支出规模或者弱化财政支出冲动提供了相当巨大的空间,瓦格纳定律的神话将被打破。

Wagner's Law has been given a fierce attack theoretically and practically because of the continuous evolution of public administration,especially the beginning and expanding of new public management around the world.On the one hand,public finance expenditure has been cut down directly by a series of reform measures in new public management movement,which include governmental function optimization,decentralization,reform of public personnel system and reform of social security system.On the other hand,the pressure on the public supply of government finance has been lessened objectively indirectly in spite of the economic,political and social demands derived from the industrialization(or the alleged post-industrialization) expanding continuously,because diversified main body and provision pattern(embodying reform of supply mechanism) of public goods supply have been emerging with the development of new public management movement.In such cases,the myth of the Wagner's Law will lose its magic.