European integration in administrative terms : a framework for analysis and the greek case
By: SPANOU, Calliope
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ArticlePublisher: London : Routledge, September 1998Journal of European Public Policy 5, 3, p. 467-484Abstract: The analysis of how national administrative systems respond to European integration requirements has so far focused mainly on formal/institutional aspects. Implicit assumptions based on the universality of Weberian-type bureaucracies tend to dominate the debate. It is expected that common constraints within the European Union (EU) might lead to administrative convergence. However, the point of departure of individual political administrative systems varies. Responsiveness is not only a matter of institutional reform. It is conditioned by a variety of extra-institutional, informal processes relative to state-society and politics-administration interaction. Adjustment initiatives follow pre-established paths and standard operating procedures and do not automatically lead to convergence. This framework is used to analyse the case of Greece. Research on the implementation of European directives highlights the informal aspects of the interaction with the local environment. It shows that the gap between formal rules and informal practices may favour or inhibit responsiveness.
The analysis of how national administrative systems respond to European integration requirements has so far focused mainly on formal/institutional aspects. Implicit assumptions based on the universality of Weberian-type bureaucracies tend to dominate the debate. It is expected that common constraints within the European Union (EU) might lead to administrative convergence. However, the point of departure of individual political administrative systems varies. Responsiveness is not only a matter of institutional reform. It is conditioned by a variety of extra-institutional, informal processes relative to state-society and politics-administration interaction. Adjustment initiatives follow pre-established paths and standard operating procedures and do not automatically lead to convergence. This framework is used to analyse the case of Greece. Research on the implementation of European directives highlights the informal aspects of the interaction with the local environment. It shows that the gap between formal rules and informal practices may favour or inhibit responsiveness.
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