Southern European Governments and Public Bureaucracies in the Context of Economic Crisis

Abstract

Before the economic crisis erupted, the public bureaucracies of Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain had embarked on public administration reforms reflecting Neo-Weberian and New Public Management influences. After the onset of the crisis, which functioned as a critical juncture, reforms of public administration and the structures and functions of government decision-making were hastily effected. Administrative reforms reflected almost exclusively New Public Management concerns, whereas reforms of government indicated a rapid concentration and centralisation of power at the summit of the executive. A combination of ‘goodness-of-fit’ and historical institutionalist theories and fiscal pressures exerted by the international economic and institutional environment may explain the abruptness, extent and direction of reform. Southern European governments and public bureaucracies have preserved only some of the historical legacies of government and bureaucratic organisation, but have hurriedly adapted to externally induced pressures to reform.