New public management as an extension of neoliberal ideology

Ideology is invisibly present in economics. Some schools of economic thought, such as Marxism or old institutionalism, admit the fact of researchers having their own value systems. However, proponents of neoliberal ideas insist on the positive and non-ideological nature of economic science. Denying neoliberalism’s ideological foundations affects socio-economic policy in regulating the public sector of the economy. The study aims to reveal the relationship between managerialism and neoliberal ideology. The foundation of research resides in the theory of new public management, old institutional economics theory, and approaches of narrative economics. The selection and full text screening of Russian language scientific publications were carried out using narrative analysis and the PRISMA method. The evidence base covers an array of studies by Russian researchers on managerialism, new public management, and neoliberalism. The paper reveals that scholars predominantly view managerialism as a continuation of neoliberal ideology. We have traced the evolution of theoretical and practical aspects of neoliberalism, which can be classified as a loose concept subject to heavy criticism, and identified three additional types of neoliberalism specific to Russian economic science. The findings illustrate that the practical implementation of new public management shifts the focus from long-term strategic goals to short-term results.