Theoretical Approaches to Administrative Reform

Administrative reform has been one of the common activities of government for decades, if not centuries. Whenever the existing system of implementing policy is not performing well, or there is a new set of ideas about how to govern better, governments may reform administration. These reforms are often structural, moving around organizations within the public sector or creating new types of structures. Or they may focus on processes or the nature of the personnel hired by government. In most instances, however, they reflect Samuel Johnson’s description of second marriages—the triumph of hope over experience.