Varieties of new public management? The reform of public service employment relations in the UK and USA

Abstract

This article analyses developments in public service employment relations in the UK and USA over the last two decades that are associated with the implementation of new public management (NPM) style reforms. We examine developments in performance management, patterns of wage determination and trade union responses to these reforms. Although there are some similarities in the reform agenda, there are marked variations in the interpretation and implementation of NPM reforms, which reflect differing administrative traditions and the malleability of NPM reforms.

Keywords:

• comparative HRM
• employment relations
• new public management
• public sector
• UK
• USA

Acknowledgements

We thank Tashlin Lakhani for invaluable assistance in compiling data on US public service employment trends and Ian Kessler for comments on an earlier version of this article.