Challenging Common Assumptions in Explaining Welfare Administration Reform: A Three-Decade Analysis of The Netherlands and Norway

Abstract

This article examines whether New Public Management (NPM) and New Public Governance (NPG) models are evident in administrative reforms related to social policy and employment services. Using a longitudinal, qualitative analysis of reforms in Norway and the Netherlands, the study challenges key theoretical assumptions. It finds that NPG may actually precede, rather than follow, NPM in some contexts. Additionally, the commonly used explanation of path dependence does not fully account for national differences in reform outcomes. These insights call for renewed theoretical and practical reflection on public management models and the limitations of path dependence in explaining welfare governance reforms.