知識經濟具有幾個主要特徵：（一）科學和技術的研究與開發，日益成為知識經濟的重要基礎。（二）資訊和通訊科技在知識經濟的發展過程中處於中心地位。（三）服務業在知識經濟中扮演了主要角色。（四）人力資源的素質和技能成為知識經濟實現的先決條件。 由全球化的觀點分析，公共行政改革主要受到四個因素的影響：第一，全球經濟的競爭(global economic competition)；第二，民主化(democratization);第三，資訊革命(information revolution)；第四，績效匱乏(the performance deficit)。此種全球公共行政改革學習，可由已開發國家對已開發國家之行政改革模仿(imitation)，到開發中國家對已開發國家之模仿。

There are four characters to knowledge economy: (1) the foundation of knowledge-based economy will focus on the research and development science and technology, (2) the core role of knowledge-based economy is information and communication technology, (3) service industry will play the main role in the process of knowledge-based economy, (4) the success of knowledge-based economy is based on the quality of human resources and skills. From globalization point of view, four elements affect reforming public administration: (1) global economic competition; (2) democratization; (3) information revolution; (4) the performance deficit. The learning of reforming public administration exists in the global context, the imitation of performance improvement (reengineering government) may happen through developed countries to developed countries, and also through developing countries to developed countries.