From Pre-Weber to Post-NPM: Challenges to Modernization of Public Administration in Latvia and Norway

This chapter presents findings from research on public service delivery in Norway and Latvia. By providing a comparative perspective we seek to show that while some of the problems faced by public officials in the two countries may be quite similar, there are also some inherent cultural issues of trust and accountability that are particularly vexing in countries where the tradition of public service has yet to be firmly established. Efforts to study and modernize public administration must take account of these differences that can be seen as challenges to the adoption of Good Governance, an administrative reform movement where some tools from earlier New Public Management may be included.