COCOPS: Determining the impact of new public management reforms

FP7 Project presents findings of first work package

The COCOPS project has developed a database encompassing over 500 reports and studies documenting the impact of new public management reforms in European countries. An analysis of this database is presented in the first COCOPS policy brief. The authors paint a diverse picture of NPM reforms and their impacts in the countries they studied and encourage potential reformers to undertake an evaluation of local circumstances before embarking on a reform path.

COCOPS – Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future seeks to assess the impact of NPM-type reforms across Europe. A team of scholars from 11 universities in 10 countries is undertaking a series of 8 research projects (“work packages”) to map and analyze innovative mechanisms in the public sector to improve social and policy coordination. COCOPS is funded by the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme and, with a budget of nearly €2.7 million, is set to become one of the largest comparative public management research projects in Europe.

The Hertie School of Governance, represented by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Hammerschmid (Project Coordinator) and Prof. Dr. Kai Wegrich, is among the 11 institutions involved in this project.

Read the full policy brief here.