Crtical Appraisal of NPA and Final Summary

I)Desirability of goal of social equity

crtics have exressed doubts about the desirabilty and feasibilty of the goal of social equity.The've argued that this goal is not practically feasible.

In this context , CARTER and DUFFY observed that
"Whether the ibject of social equity can be recognised as well established of efficiency economy and effectiveness and doubtfull"

Similarly, victor Thompson crticised the idea as

"The value orientation can harm the professionalism, impersonality and equality which are essential in public service"

Infact since in the USA , the main emphasis has been on competitionness and individual initiative , the adoption goal of social equity was always seen with sceptiscism and was not acceptable idea.

As a result, NPA moreover didn't continue for so long and soon lost the momentum.

In that perspective . Golembeiski has noted "NPA was a temporary and transitional phenomenon which deserve to be faded away"

II)Over Ambitious Radicalism

The NPA Movement is criticised as a well intentional but over aimbitious and overtly optimistic idea.
Its crticised as being too radical and too idealistic and that much of radicalism was not practical in view of ground realities.

Further its argued that NPA ideology were more set of well meaning prescription on morale grounds but without much matching operation solutions.

As a result , many crtics argue that NPA movement was more a rhetoric than a set of actually workable solutions towards adminis. improvement.

Regarding hat , Golembewesiky observed
"NPA was revoultionary and radical in words but status altruist in skills and technologies"

Infact, it was left to Minnow-Brook II distribution scholars. It was realised that there are practical different scholars.

It was realised that there are practical difficulties like interconnected issues, political control over policy and inadequate public personnel administration and resource constraints.

Unless skills and capabilities are improved along these lines. the well meaning NPA ideas would remain paper tigers or rhetorics.

III)Encouraging Politicization of Administration.

-some scholars also crticised the NPA odeas for encouraging political equity rather than social equity. To elaborate it has been argued that there is always a possibility that in name of equity of affirmative action there are chances of

a.Populism
b.Appearance
c.Vote bank Politics

In other words, rather than a logical and efficient quest for equity it may become a political free for all in the form of freebies (like free water , laptop etc)

In this conext, its significant to note that , FW Riggs a prominent comparative development administration scholar described poli-functionalism or as elects a significant charachteristic of prismatic society representative of develping countries .


Here politicians and administrators have a tendency to act based on their elects association than impartial merit.

IV)Old wine in a new Bottle

It has been argued that some thinkers that NPA has nothing new,

ALLEH CAMPBELL , argued that issues brought to surface were not new and they have already been talked by earlier scholars from time to time.

example-in late 19th century there was a movement called progressive movement which had argued for sociologist features in capitalist America while exposing the ill effects of capitalism.

On this crticism , a very important observation has been made by Fredrickson,"NPA has newnes not in threads use but the way the fabric is woven and also in the agreements as to how to properly use this fabric"

Enduring Legacy of Public Administration

Although NPA as a movement is not have a prolonged success in America and this is centric movement soon fizzled out in USA , yet the essential terms which it advocated have continued to govern administartion specially in developing countries.

The NPA ideas found great contextual relvance to many emerging and developing nations which were iin their need of-

a)Basic and Polititative social transitions 

b)dibureaucratism

c)social conscious and client oriented public administartion

These themes were the essence of NPA movement and many related themes encoroprated these ideas.

Example-the develpoment admininstartive theories, the NPA perspective and the entittled theory essentially encorporated and contained these core ideas of NPA philosphy.

Thus in a way the NPA which faded away in US by late 1970 can be set to have continued relevance in developing countries like India even today.

As even today in developing countries there is need for equality, inclusive growth and social transormation.

Further am important administartive commentator RK Arora summarised the value addition offered by NPA movement to field of public administartion as under.

a)It has intesified the self awareness activism and ecological orientation of public administration community.

b)It had pushed the discipline of pubad towards greater relevance to critical problems of the day.

c)It has strengthen the client orientation of pubad

d)It has strengthen the policy perspective of public admin'

e)It has broad the acedemic field of public admin closer to practice and profession of administration.