Public Administration Reforms in Europe: The View from the Top

Based on a survey of more than 6,700 top civil servants in 17 European countries, this book explores the impacts of New Public Management (NPM)-style reforms in Europe from a uniquely comparative perspective. It examines and analyses empirical findings regarding the dynamics, major trends and tools of administrative reforms, with special focus on the diversity of top executives' perceptions about the effects of those reforms. Resulting from research funded by the European Commission, this book is an ambitious, comprehensive portrait of public administration in the central European bureaucracies after more than three decades of NPM reforms and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The chapters present extensive data on single countries but invaluably take a comparative approach, presenting a broad, explorational perspective. Public Administration Reforms in Europe is an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners and students in a variety of social science areas, especially public administration, public policy and public management. Contributors include: J. M. Alonso, R. Andrews, P. Bezes, R. Boyle, M.E. Cardim, J. Clifton, D. Díaz-Fuentes, J. Downe, N. Ejersbo, F. Ferrè, D. Galli, C. Greve, V. Guarneros-Meza, G. Hajnal, G. Hammerschmid, K. Huxley, G. Jeannot, S. Jilke, P. Lægreid, S. Leixnering, F. Longo, R.E. Meyer, L. Mota, V. Nakrosis, S.A. Öberg, E. Ongaro, A. Oprisor, L. Pereira, T. Randma-Liiv, R. Rauleckas, L.H. Rykkja, K. Sarapuu, L. Sarkute , R. Savi, A. Schikowitz, R. Snapstiene, T. Steen, V. Stimac, S. Van de Walle, J. van der Voet, T. Virtanen, U. Weske, H. Wockelberg

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1. Introduction: Public Administration Reforms in Europe Steven Van de Walle, Gerhard Hammerschmid, Rhys Andrews and Philippe Bezes 2. Comparative Research in Public Administration and the Contribution of the COCOPS Top Executive Survey Steven Van de Walle, Gerhard Hammerschmid, Anca Oprisor and Vid Štimac 3. Understanding Elites: Values, Attitudes, Motivations and Role Perceptions of Top Public Sector Executives in Europe Trui Steen and Ulrike Weske PART I PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORMS IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE 4. Austria: Nothing is Different, but Everything’s Changed Stephan Leixnering, Andrea Schikowitz and Renate E. Meyer 5. From Smooth NPMization to Structural Changes in France: Accelerated Reforms, Mixed Perceptions Philippe Bezes and Gilles Jeannot 6. German Public Administration: Incremental Reform and a Difficult Terrain for Management Ideas and Instruments Gerhard Hammerschmid and Anca Oprisor 7. Administrative Reforms in the Netherlands: Managerialism, Collaboration and Implications for Future Reform Capacity Sebastian Jilke, Joris Van Der Voet and Steven Van De Walle PART II PUBLIC ADMNISTRATION REFORMS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE 8. Public Administration Reform in Estonia: The Abundance of Piecemeal Initiatives Riin Savi and Tiina Randma-Liiv 9. New Wine in New Bottles? Assessing Hungary’s Post-2010 Public Administration Reforms György Hajnal 10. The Impact of Public Administration Reforms in Lithuania: Systemic Managerial Changes and Persisting Organizational Differences Rimantas Rauleckas, Vitalis Nakrošis, Rasa Šnapštienė and Ligita Šarkutė PART III PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORMS IN NORTHERN EUROPE 11. Denmark: Towards the Neo-Weberian State in the Digital Era Carsten Greve and Niels Ejersbo 12. Finland: Active Reformer Looking for More Centralisation and Horizontal Coordination Turo Virtanen 13. Riding the Roller Coaster: Ireland’s Reform of the Public Service at a Time of Fiscal Crisis Richard Boyle 14. Norway: Managerialism, Incrementalism and Collaboration Per Lægreid and Lise H. Rykkja 15. Reinventing the Old Reform Agenda: Public Administrative Reform and Performance in Sweden Helena Wockelberg and Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg 16. A Top-Down, Customer-Oriented Approach to Reform: Perceptions from UK Civil Servants James Downe, Rhys Andrews and Valeria Guarneros-Meza PART IV PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORMS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE 17. Italy: Set Along a Neo-Weberian Trajectory of Administrative Reform? Edoardo Ongaro, Francesca Ferré, Davide Galli and Francesco Longo 18. Public Administration Reforms in Portugal: A Path Between Service Improvement and Cutback Measures Luís Mota, Maria Engrácia Cardim and Luísa Pereira 19. The Slow Pace of Public Administration Reform in Spain José M. Alonso, Judith Clifton and Daniel Díaz-Fuentes PART V CHALLENGES AND OUTCOMES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORMS ACROSS EUROPE 20. Mapping the Use of Public Management Tools in European Public Administration Gilles Jeannot and Philippe Bezes 21. Managing the Public Sector Under Fiscal Stress Tiina Randma-Liiv and Riin Savi 22. Coordination Challenges and Administrative Reforms Per Lægreid, Tiina Randma-Liiv, Lise H. Rykkja and Külli Sarapuu 23. Public Administration Reforms and Outcomes Across Countries and Policy Areas Katy Huxley, Rhys Andrews, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Steven Van De Walle 24. Conclusion: A Kaleidoscope of Administrative Reforms in Europe Rhys Andrews, Philippe Bezes, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Steven Van De Walle Index