Governmentality, Globalization, and Local Practice: Transformations of a Hegemonic Discourse

Since the 1980s, local governments in many parts of the world have undergone major institutional reforms. Shaped by a wide range of economic, political, and social trends, these changes have been driven by a particular blend of global and local dynamics. On the one hand, they have been contingent upon a globally dominant discourse that has tirelessly pointed out the devastating consequences of public-sector growth. On the other hand, the particular tracks that this discourse has followed, as well as the modes of local appropriation of its core messages, have varied and we believe will continue to vary from case to case. This article sets out to explore the correlation between governmentality, globalization, and local practice from the vantage point of the institution of local government as it is being reshaped by the global discourse known as New Public Management (NPM). Evolved from modest beginnings among international administrative experts working for the United Nations, taken up by the Carter administration, and then processed and refined by the OECD, NPM has arguably acquired the status of a hegemonic discourse: since the 1980s, most contemporary discourses in the field of public administration and management have positioned themselves in relation to elements of NPM. Though not a coherent set of values and notions and therefore not readily definable, NPM can nevertheless be distinguished despite its multiple guises and applications by (1) its clear emphasis on business-management practices, and (2) its reliance on individual rationalities and market