What did the New Public Management do to the Public? The Los Angeles Fires Incident

Abstract

While public services were provided by the state to meet the general needs of citizens, New Public Management (NPM) transformed the way public services were delivered through privatization. The private sector's provision of public services, such as water, a fundamental human right, created various problems in ensuring that these services were delivered equally and fairly to citizens. The United States (U.S.), a country characterized by strong marketization practices, exemplified the problems caused by NPM implementations in the Los Angeles (LA) fires at the beginning of 2025. Two fundamental administrative problems contributed to the failure to control these fires: the fire department's inability to access sufficient water, and the state's residents' reliance on private fire departments. The private sector's provision of these services prevented residents from accessing services equally and fairly. Drawing on this current situation, this study aims to examine the administrative challenges faced during the LA fires through NPM implementations. In this context, the study introduces NPM reforms in light of leading studies on NPM and examines how privatization in water supply and fire services has altered public service delivery, particularly through the examples of the LA fires and the Kern Bank.

Keywords

• New public management
• governance
• public service
• marketization
• Los Angeles fires.

Yeni Kamu Yönetimi Kamuya Ne Yaptı? Los Angeles Yangınları Olayı

Abstract

Kamu hizmetleri devlet tarafından vatandaşların genel ihtiyaçlarını karşılamak için sunulurken Yeni Kamu Yönetimi (YKY), özelleştirmeler ile kamu hizmetlerinin sunum şeklini değiştirdi. Temel insan hakkı olan su temini gibi kamu hizmetlerinin özel sektör tarafından sunulması bu hizmetlerin eşit ve adil bir şekilde vatandaşlara ulaşmasında çeşitli sorunlar meydana getirdi. Güçlü piyasalaştırma uygulamalarıyla karakterize bir ülke olan the United States (U.S.), 2025 yılının başında Los Angeles’ta (LA) yaşanan yangınlarda NPM uygulamalarının yol açtığı sorunlara bir örnek oldu. Bu yangınların kontrol altına alınamamasında iki temel yönetimsel sorun dikkati çekti. Bunlardan birincisi itfaiyenin yeterli suya ulaşamaması ve diğeri eyalet sakinlerinin özel itfaiye teşkilatlarına başvurması oldu. Bu hizmetlerin özel sektör tarafından sunulması şehir sakinlerinin hizmetlere eşit ve adil erişimini engelledi. Bu güncel olaydan yola çıkarak çalışma, LA yangınlarında yaşanan yönetimsel sorunları NPM uygulamaları üzerinden incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışma NPM uygulamalarında önde gelen çalışmalar ışığında NPM reformlarını tanıtırken özellikle LA yangınları ve Kern Bank örnekleri üzerinden su temini ve itfaiye hizmetlerinde özelleştirmenin kamu hizmetinin sunumunu nasıl değiştirdiğini incelemektedir.

Keywords

• Yeni kamu yönetimi
• yönetişim
• kamu hizmeti
• piyasalaştırma
• Los Angeles yangınları.

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