New Public Management and Reforms in Russian Social Policy

Abstract

This paper brings together a number of research findings and data sources to analyze some of the key trends in the regional development of social services market. It also informs about the processes of modernization and standardization in the sector. Since 1990s the first attempts to adopt the New Public Management (NPM) style in Russia can be observed – in industrial companies, public administration, universities and social services sphere. Such key characteristic of NPM, as the creation of corporate identity, mission statement, corporate strategy and increasing managerial autonomy were indicated in social services as well. However, the basic characteristics for the process of changing the Russian public sector in general and social services sector in particular is persistence of the monopolized position of organizations providing public services and the limited possibilities for creating competitive environment. Some innovations have been directed towards increasing the effectiveness of social services as well as their managerialization, with great emphasis on effectiveness and measurable outcomes. Current processes of reforming the social services sector are determined by the willingness of the neo-liberal ideologists to rationalize the relations between the state and its citizens. New standards often combine the existing service-sphere practices of performance evaluation, social service delivery, staff motivation, and methods of management, including social services quality management. There is a gap between the official rhetoric of liberalization and the existing evaluation practices in social services that are not supported by relevant approaches to financing and managing social services. In addition to the analysis of the official documents related to federal and regional social policy, a survey of social services employees (N=240), as well as the interviews with social services administrators and focus groups with social workers were conducted in Samara and Saratov in 2006. The development of social services infrastructure and their modernization are related with the transfer of responsibilities to the regional level, to the non-discriminatory orientation of social services towards the poorer groups of population, decrease of administrative costs and elaboration of standards of socials services. However, as the research shows, the field of social services is almost unaffected by market reforms. This has led to a decrease in quality of many social services, ineffective resource management and to ignoring real needs of certain groups of people. Besides, the majority of the regions lack monitoring practice of social services evaluation. Lack of organization of social services quasi-markets in Russia is stipulated by inefficient participation of non-governmental organizations in this sphere of activity, which makes the demand of forming new public agreement the centre of neo-liberal social policy agenda.