01475pab a2200133 454500008004000000100001700040245004800057260000900105300001400114362000800128520112700136650002601263773005201289180718b2008   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aPillay, Soma  aA cultural ecology of New Public Management  c2008  ap.373-94.  aSep  aDuring the 1980s, new public management (NPM) evolved as a universal model of reform and governance in public sector management. However, in practice, there have been significant differences between countries that have been successful in NPM reform and those that have not. Drawing on institutional theory and frameworks of national culture, this article is aimed at exploring the applicability of NPM in a particular cultural context. In particular, the study analyses the applicability of NPM in the developing economy of South Africa. Using Hofstede's construct of national culture and institutional theory, social units within South Africa are explained. A cultural theory is presented whereby NPM is depicted as a culturally dependent strategy. The present study proposes a cultural theory that takes into account the differences that exist among the cultures of various countries. It is suggested that the successful implementation of NPM requires complementarities between the reform strategies that are adopted and the particular cultural characteristics of the country in which they are implemented. - Reproduced.  aPublic administration  aInternational Review of Administrative Sciences