Significances Issues and Potential Problems of the Benchmarking Application for Municipal Solid Waste Administration from the Perspective New Public Management

• Published in: Journal of the Japan Society of Waste Management Experts Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 161 - 174
• Main Authors: Abe, Naoya, Osako, Masahiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management 2008
• Subjects: benchmarking; human resource development; informational database; New Public Management(NPM)
• ISSN: 1883-1648; 1883-163X
• DOI: 10.3985/jswme.19.161

Due to increasing pressure on the capacity of landfill sites and the need to reduce environmental impacts associated with management and treatment of waste, (i.e. emission of gases that lead to global warming), many local Japanese governments are currently facing the challenge of tackling the issues surrounding municipal waste management and treatment. Local authorities have also been suffering from increasing fiscal stress as they confront the problem of a population that is shrinking and graying at an unprecedented rate. These are two social phenomena that have serious implications on how municipal solid waste is managed. Given the social and economic changes taking place, local municipalities must explore new methods for the administration and operation of solid waste collection and treatment, while taking into account that limited financial and human resources have to be utilized effectively and efficiently with significant priority on the needs of citizens. This approach would be similar concept to the New Public Management (NPM) system which was originally initiated in the United Kingdom. According to Barzelay, NPM is “a term used to describe distinctive new themes, styles, and patterns of public service management.” In this article, we focus on ‘benchmarking (BM),’ as a tool for bringing about the general concept of NPM. BM will allow local governments to recognize the positioning or ranking of their own public service performance, and to compare individual performance with that of municipalities having similar social and economic conditions. We explore the potential pros and cons of the BM application for better municipal solid waste management; and conclude that a comprehensive and consistent database is necessary for the effective comparison of local public service performance. Capable human resources with decent knowledge and experience in both municipal solid waste management and the NPM principle will also be critical for effective utilization of BM. A reward system based on the results of BM will require careful mechanism design due to potential inconsistencies between that which should be rewarded and that which can be most effectively rewarded.