Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Prof., Department of Public Administration, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jipa.2026.423478.4016
Abstract
Objective
Public administration scholarship has undergone a continuous process of development and transformation since its establishment, extending from Classical Public Administration (CPA) theories to New Public Management (NPM), New Public Service (NPS), Public Value Management (PVM), and New Public Governance (NPG). Each of these public administration theories has made a significant contribution to the development of public administration knowledge, and the necessity of continuing the process of theoretical evolution in this important field of study remains evident. In today's complex world, we are witnessing an accelerating process of fundamental change and transformation in the administration of societies' affairs. Complexity, dynamism, and the interconnectedness of public problems, transformations in the domains of information technology and artificial intelligence, and rising citizen expectations of governments underscore, more than ever before, the necessity of the continued transformation and evolution of theories in public administration. The fundamental question of public administration is now no longer merely how governments can become more efficient. The more fundamental question is how governments can learn, in confronting complex and fundamental public problems, to prepare themselves for changing conditions, to preserve public trust and their own legitimacy, and to enhance their management and governance capacity in accordance with the nature of public problems. In response to this very necessity, this article introduces Public Problem Management (PPM) theory as a new theoretical proposition in public administration and public governance.
Methods
The article adopts a theoretical and argumentative approach, developing its argument through critical analysis of existing theories and approaches, reconsideration of prevailing concepts and assumptions, and the extension and integration of theoretical insights, with the aim of formulating and elaborating a new theory for public administration and governance. To situate PPM within the theoretical landscape of the field, the article compares PPM with Classical Public Administration (CPA), New Public Management (NPM), New Public Service (NPS), Public Value Management (PVM), and New Public Governance (NPG).
Results
The central argument of PPM is that, under contemporary complex conditions, the public problem should not be regarded merely as one of the topics of concern to public administration; rather, it can constitute the central focus of public administration theory and the starting point for the design, organization, capacity-building, and transformation of the public administration and governance system, as well as the unit of analysis of public administration theory. PPM rests on the premise that government and public organizations are instruments for achieving public outcomes at the level of society, and that when the resolution of public problems is the ultimate goal of the public administration and governance system, the instrument cannot be treated as prior to the goal. Accordingly, rather than situating the public problem within the pre-defined frameworks and capacities of government, PPM accepts the possibility that the nature, complexity, and evolution of the public problem should be determinative in the design and rearrangement of capacity, structure, organization, the role of government, the composition of actors, and the mode of management and governance. On this basis, government can, instead of concentrating on the management of public organizations, attend to the management of society and public problems, and instead of defining general and fixed rules for public organizations, devote itself to the continuous production of capacity for the management and resolution of public problems. The comparative analysis further indicates that the principal distinguishing feature of PPM is not merely its being problem-oriented; rather, it is the shift in the focus of public administration and governance theory from public organizations to the public problem, together with its advocacy of a change in the unit of analysis from public organizations to the public problem.
Conclusion
The endeavor of PPM is to provide a theoretical basis for the transition of public administration from organization to society and its problems. On this basis, PPM seeks to formulate and advance a new theory for public administration and governance, one whose foundation, unit of analysis, and design logic are rethought in accordance with the nature of public problems rather than with the pre-defined boundaries of public organizations. The importance of this theory lies in this shift in perspective: instead of first determining the structure of public administration and then placing the problem within it, we should begin with the public problem and shape the appropriate capacities and arrangements for managing it.
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