Interpreting administrative change : bureaucratic self-interest and institutional inheritance in government
By: CHRISTENSEN, Jorgen Gronnegard
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ArticlePublisher: Malden : Wiley-Blackwell, April 1997Governance: An International Journal of Policy and Administration 10, 2, p. 143-174Abstract: Between 1946 and 1995, Danish central government had been subject to numerous reorganization initiatives. Based on the assumption of self]interest motivated and risk]averse bureaucrats, these initiatives are analyzed in a long]term historical perspective. It is argued that civil servants both feel a strong incentive to and have good chances of defending the existing organization. This creates a historical bias in favor of whatever organizations were created in the past. Still, the mutual dependence between political executives and their civil servants opens up for bargaining dynamics allowing for mostly incremental change. While ideology has been unimportant in the development of central government organization, broadly shared ideas about reform may account for some instances of radical reform, consistently opposed by Danish civil servants.
Between 1946 and 1995, Danish central government had been subject to numerous reorganization initiatives. Based on the assumption of self]interest motivated and risk]averse bureaucrats, these initiatives are analyzed in a long]term historical perspective. It is argued that civil servants both feel a strong incentive to and have good chances of defending the existing organization. This creates a historical bias in favor of whatever organizations were created in the past. Still, the mutual dependence between political executives and their civil servants opens up for bargaining dynamics allowing for mostly incremental change. While ideology has been unimportant in the development of central government organization, broadly shared ideas about reform may account for some instances of radical reform, consistently opposed by Danish civil servants.
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