Governance of Local Government Performance: An Analytical Study of the Duality of New Public Management and Public-Private Partnership as a Mechanism for Developing Administrative Practices

Abstract

This research offers a profound analysis of the interwoven and often conflicting relationship between two major paradigms that have fundamentally reshaped modern public sector reform: New Public Management (NPM), serving as the core managerial philosophy, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), acting as the primary operational tool. The paper addresses a central research dilemma: how to effectively leverage this duality to construct a comprehensive and resilient governance framework. Such a framework must be capable of significantly boosting the performance of local authorities while simultaneously safeguarding the public interest amidst an era of increasingly complex interdependencies.

Utilizing a critical-analytical methodology, the study argues that the legitimate and successful deployment of PPPs is not solely dependent on adopting the efficiency-focused metrics and instruments derived from NPM. Crucially, it demands a vital and reciprocal integration with the foundational principles of transparency, citizen engagement, and social equity championed by the New Public Service (NPS) model.

The findings suggest that the successful modernization trajectory for local authorities necessitates the creation of a sophisticated, Hybrid Governance structure. This model must be meticulously engineered to reconcile the frequently divergent demands of economic efficiency, democratic legitimacy, and the preservation of national sovereignty, particularly within the increasingly critical digital domain. The article concludes by presenting concrete, implementable policy recommendations. These focus on strategic institutional capacity-building, the implementation of dual-loop oversight mechanisms (integrating both performance-based and community-driven accountability), and the proactive management of emerging strategic risks in a rapidly evolving global environment