What Is Managerialism?

The term ‘managerialism’ has been widely used but theoretical publications on managerialism remain rare while theory development continues to be insufficient. This article is a contribution to the current discussion on managerialism. Managerialism is a deeply ideological project transcending its traditional position when entering into society. The following theoretical rather than empirical article sets out to present a short overview of the current debate on managerialism, seeking to deliver some preliminary approximations on a possible definition of managerialism and its ideological project. The second part highlights what distinguishes managerialism from neo-liberalism. It is followed by a brief discussion on ideology. Clarifications on managerialism and ideology set the scene for a few preliminary introductory thoughts in ‘Early Signposts for a Future Critical Theory of Managerialism’. The conclusion provides a brief emancipatory note on what lies beyond managerialism

The European Public Sectors in the Age of Managerialism

During the past 50 years, European public sectors have undergone a profound process of organizational change, where managerial tools and principles from the private sector have permeated through governments and administrations of many countries. A substantial amount of academic literature has now been devoted to public management reforms. Many scholars have associated them with the diffusion of a managerialist ideology. However, the relationship between public management reforms, political ideology, and public expressions of support for these reforms by political parties has been a relatively under-explored topic within the literature and is the gap we address in this article. Using a longitudinal framework of study, our analysis shows how issues surrounding managerialist reforms have evolved across the electoral manifestos of European parties during the past 50 years. Our findings reveal that these reforms have enjoyed a growing political profile over time in many countries within Western and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, we also examine and discuss the differences and similarities of these reforms across countries