Abstract:
In the last quarter century there has been a significant shift within the
field of Public Administration. Traditional values and norms have been
undermined in number of ways. One aspect of this trend has been the
emergence of a concept which has come to be known as the New Public
Management (NPM). At the most basic level, this concept promotes the
public sector use of private sector management techniques. Due to
number of pressures, NPM has spread across the world influencing a
wide range of states. However, there are reservations over the general
applicability of NPM, especially in the development world. This paper
outlines the rise of NPM in the context of Sri Lanka. It addresses the
issues in introducing NPM techniques in Divisional Secretariats of Sri
Lanka with reference to Nintavur Divisional Secretariat which has
established in the coastal area of Ampara District. This study is critical
one based on interpretative analysis which has used quantitative and
qualitative data. The stated purpose is examined by studying both
primary and secondary materials. The primary data has been collected
through key informants, interviews and focus group discussion. The
secondary data has been collected from books, official documents,
reports and journals. The major finding of this study is that the above
institution has been challenged in implementing the NPM techniques
owing to various reasons including lack of staff capacity of institution,
lack of NPM knowledge and etc.
