Drawing the Line: On the Public/Private Distinction in Debates on New Modes of Governance

Abstract

Privatization, output steering, and other measures that are often collectively referred to as New Public Management have been broadly commented on in recent years. Critiques of New Public Management lament a diminishing publicness and an erosion of the public/private distinction. On closer inspection, however, the meaning of these concepts in the critiques is often not clear, which leads to confusion and paradox. Most notably, it remains unclear what is at stake in the public/private distinction. In this article, it is argued that these issues can be clarified when it is acknowledged that there are, in fact, two underlying ideals: a liberal ideal and a republican one. An elaboration of these ideals, and of the relation between them, helps in gaining a better understanding of the problems the new modes of government entail and in formulating more promising alternatives.