New Aid Management
En kritisk analys av new public management-ideal i styrningen av Sveriges internationella bistånd
New public managementAidGovernmental rationalityManagement philosophyResults based managementCritical analysisInternational development cooperation
Since the 1980s, the management philosophy New Public Management has resulted in major changes in the public administration system in several countries, especially in the West. A market oriented approach and an increased focus on performance measurement are ideals that are salient in these changes. The aim of this bachelor thesis is to examine the management philosophy?s influence on international relations through a critical analysis of some of its ideals in the management of international development cooperation, where effectiveness, quality, and results have been new dominant concepts. Through a qualitative content analysis of a Swedish Communication from 2014 ? the Aid Policy Framework ? and a debate in the Swedish parliament where this Communication was discussed, different themes that reflect the strategy of so called results based management in Sweden are identified. These themes are then analysed with the help of the theory of management philosophy, governmental rationality, and other critical premises and concepts to put the focus on effectiveness and results in the context of the New Public Management. Finally the elucidated ideals are discussed in the dimension of Sweden?s international development cooperation goals to examine the compatibility between them.The findings of the study show that the results based management is based on a requirement of control where a lack of trust for the aid recipients is central. This lack of trust can be seen to result in an unequal relation among the donor and recipient actors. New Public Management ideals of positivism, rationalism, and objectivity also tend to depoliticize the governance of international development cooperation and to a certain extent simplify the understanding of development processes. For this reason, the conclusion is that there are some reasons to challenge current management principles and think about possible alternative ways of govern international development cooperation.