The field of public management is in transitional times. Confronted by increasing complexity, and challenged for its Western dominance, important shifts are taking place. In this paper I will argue that there are important themes emerging that can provide insights into this shifting worldview. In doing so I will explore what this means for our notions of the state, its connection to society, and the practice of public management. 

In this paper I will explore four main themes, and then draw out some connections to public management developments in Indonesia. The first theme focuses on how we might grapple more with complexity, rather than resort to rationality in an increasingly turbulent world. The second explores how humility can help us to navigate a more uncertain world, and the demands it places on states and society. The third examines how a return to empathy can aid in building more human and humane approves to governing. And the fourth sets out the emergence of a more positive orientation towards public administration and how this is shaping how we think about what it is that states do for society. 

In exploring potential building blocks of the next phase of public management, I will pose some questions of what these shifts might mean for Indonesia, but also ask what Indonesia can teach the world.  

Keywords: Public Management; States and Society; Governing; Indonesia