Public Administration in Central Europe: Ideas as Causes of Reforms

ISBN-13: 9781032474663 / Angielski / Miękka / 2023 / 314 str.

Stanislaw Mazur

Opis

This book examines the extent to which recent transformations of administrative systems and public management mechanisms in Central European (CE) countries serve the purpose of providing effective and efficient public institutions, high quality of public services, respect for the rule of law, and the citizens’ trust in the state.

It details the reasons behind the major differences in the modernisation paths followed and their attendant inconsistencies and how, despite the adoption of values and solutions prevailing in the EU upon accession, these countries are shifting, to varying degrees, towards institutional design reminiscent of illiberal democracies. Taking a comparative approach and based on rich original data, it applies theoretical models to explain the nature and implications of the processes under consideration and identifies the determinants that impact upon the transformation of public administration systems and its consequences.

This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of public governance, public administration and policy, East European studies, and more broadly politics, law, sociology but also economy.

Spis treści

Preface  Part I: Introduction  1. The Singularity of Central Europe?  2. From Stalinism to Liberal Democracy: A recent history of administration in the V4 countries  Part II: Ideational Basis for the Emergence of Institutions and Institutional Reforms  3. How Ideas and Institutions Mutually Affect Each Other  4. The Competition of Ideas and Ideational Disruption  5. The Background, Direction, Ideas, Triggers, and Durability of Public Sector Reforms: A conceptual analysis of the EU28 and the Visegrád 4  Part III: Public Administration Relations with the Environment  6. Politicians and Bureaucrats in Central and Eastern Europe: Governance with increased politicisation  7. Modes of Governance in the Visegrád Countries  8. Between Compliance and Systemic Change: Evaluation practice in eight CEE countries  9. Relations with Interest Groups and Corruption in the V4 Countries  10. Populism in the Visegrád Group Countries  Part IV: Management Reforms in Public Administration  11. Public Administration Structures  12. Public Financial Management  13. Local Government in the V4 Countries: Heyday, stability or retreat?  Part V: Reconceptualization: The Role of Competition of Ideas in PA Reform  14. Interrupted Progress: Towards an understanding of causes of institutional disruption  15. Institutional Change and Increasing Ambivalence of Reform Effects and Reform Outcomes  16. A Review of Administrative Reforms in the V4 Countries. Afterword

O autorze

Stanisław Mazur is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Public Policies and Dean of the College of Public Economy and Administration at Cracow University of Economics, Poland.