Assertion (A): Christopher Hood described New Public Management (NPM) as a 'marriage of opposites'. Reason (R): NPM seeks to restore the dominance of hierarchy and rules in administration.

Which of the following statements are correct regarding the core principles and characteristics of New Public Management (NPM)? A. NPM shifts the administrative focus of governance from rigid procedures and rules to measurable outcomes and results. B. The framework advocates for the centralization of authority to maintain strict hierarchical control and uniformity in administrative functions. C. Key doctrines of NPM include the disaggregation of public services, explicit performance standards, and market-driven competition among service providers. D. A major criticism of NPM is that treating citizens as customers can weaken democratic participation by reducing governance to mere service delivery. Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Who systematically articulated the doctrines of New Public Management (NPM), emphasizing a shift in governance from procedural rules to hands-on professional management and output control?