New Public Management and corporatization in the French public sector: a critical analysis

Purpose This paper examines the trajectory and consequences of New Public Management (NPM) reforms in the wake of privatizations, target-based controls, and public sector corporatization and to explain why outcomes are not consistent across sectors, particularly in healthcare. Design/methodology/approach A theory-driven framework, the Reform-Cycle & Sector-Mechanism Fit (RCSMF) model links sector conditions to the performance of NPM instruments. A structured synthesis (1990-2024) with replicable coding scheme is applied to peer-reviewed studies and official reports to highlight patterns of adoption, recalibration, and reversal. Findings Service delivery improved in some domains (e.g. airports, telecoms), but NPM-driven corporatization increased operational costs, inequity, and declining quality in healthcare, water management, highways, and education. Performance metrics were often manipulated, and market tools widened urban-rural gaps. Furthermore, quick-fix NPM practices often failed and were subsequently reversed. Overall, French reforms followed a hybrid path of selective NPM adoption with strong state oversight, yielding differentiated outcomes across sectors rather than a uniform marketization shift. Originality/value This study highlights the unintended outcomes of market-based reforms on equity, access, and professional autonomy. It introduces a reproduceable framework that explains why and when NPM instruments succeed or fail and offers guidance for the next reform.