Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 26th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview JCPA Workshop Author(s) Dawid Szescilo University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland Title Evolving policies on institutional architecture of the state in Europe: from agencification towards consolidation File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Dawid Szescilo Abstract New Public Management as a major global paradigm of public administration for past decades aimed at dismantling bureaucratic (hierarchical, centralized, process-oriented) model of organization of state administration. The overarching idea of decentralized management promoted in NPM agenda enhanced shift towards agencification that became the most frequently adopted and far-reaching element of the NPM programme. In broad terms, agencification is explained as a process of disintegrating large public organizations into numerous single purpose, semi-independent institutions organizationally separated from the ministries, enjoying some managerial autonomy and accountable to “parent” ministry for results (outcomes) achieved. Non-ministerial bodies executive bodies (agencies) existed in institutional architecture of the state before the NPM era. In Sweden, it was the overarching principle of state organization since XIXth century. However, NPM enhanced global expansion of massive agencification by promoting the idea that ministries should focus solely on policy development, transferring all policy implementation functions to agencies (or outsourcing to private sector). Large-scale agencification began in the UK in late 1980s, when the Cabinet of Margaret Thatcher launched the “Next Step Agencies” initiative aiming at transferring 3/4 of the departments’ staff to the newly created agencies. Subsequently, the wave of agencification raised in other European countries, e.g. France or Spain. In Spain, the first agency was set up in 1991 and by the end of the 90s, their total number reached 75. Agencifiaction became also important element of the agenda of international organisations (World Bank, OECD, EU) supporting the transition in post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. However, recent years brought significant change in the national policies on institutional architecture of the state, namely the process of gradual deagencification, amalgamation and consolidation within state administration. This trend accelerated during the global economic crisis. It is marked with mergers and amalgamations of agencies, increasing central coordination between agencies (joined-up government initiatives) and in some cases direct departmentalization, i.e. transforming agencies into ministerial departments. The rationale behind this process is twofold: • Over-agencification – uncontrolled increase of the number of agencies over the years leading to inefficiencies and coordination/steering problems; • Fiscal pressure – need for reducing the cost of public sector. In some countries these factors triggered comprehensive reorganisations of Government bodies aiming at simplifying the landscape of agencies, reviewing the institutional delivery models and create efficiency gains. The most extensive reorganisation projects have been implemented in Ireland and the UK. This paper provides a review of major patterns with regard to reorganization of state administration in Europe. Key trends and models of reorganisation are identified and the methodological approach applied in reorganization projects is described. Furthermore, some theoretical comments about the nature of this transformation are presented.
