Jacob Christensen

Notes from the Outside of the Inside

Tales of New Public Management

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A word of advice for people visiting or perhaps even entertaining plans of moving to Denmark: In case you stumble on something called “Service”, it is likely to be an organisation set up to be as obnoxious to ordinary citizens as possible. Danish authorities have learnt the value of newspeak. Or perhaps it ought to be newpublicmanagementspeak.

In any event, the aim of the “Parking Service” in Copenhagen isn’t to help drivers find a parking space or to keep parking spaces available. It is to bust you. A “Parking Service Assistant” who doesn’t ticket 7,5 (!) drivers every day will soon find him- or herself in deep trouble with the management. (Actually, the “Service” has been renamed into the completely opaque “Centre for Parking“…)

And yes, there is a contract between the unit running the “Parking Service” and the local council detailing this. New Public Management at its most entertaining.

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Written by Jacob Christensen

June 21st, 2009 at 10:57 pm

Posted in Politics

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