Public-Sector Management Today: Advanced Differentiation and Early Institutionalization

Abstract

This summary article draws attention to four central questions concerning a turbulent and even troubled area of inquiry and practice. Three questions dominate. What is "public sector management" or PSM? How has PSM been approached? Whatfactors complicate coming to grips with PSM? The focus is basically descriptive-on what usually has been considered under the rubric PSM. Consequently, loose ends get more attention than prescriptionsfor tidying-up an area of inquiry and practice that now finds itself variably responding to political as well as analytic challenges. However, a fourth question does get some attention: How can we do better in PSM research?