Search results

Political environment and administrative reform in Europe

The author discusses exclusively induced and controlled changes in central administration with main emphasis on the role of political environment in the process of administrative reform. Problems arise from interaction between reform and — mainly political — environment.
The concept of political environment has to be defined more specifically by listing through objective and comparative assessment its main ingredients, whose respective weightage is tentatively measured in the light of circumstances or politico-administrative Systems.
A first attempt tries to assess the constituent elements of political environment, i.e. constitutional regime, politico-administrative machinery with relevant implications on the governmental or ministerial plane, political assemblies, political parties and pressure groups, etc., and finally the press and public opinion.
This leads to a second stage, where the main questions can be sorted out and first answers provided.
To what extent is administrative reform caused by political environment ? What main factors account for changes in the administrative machinery ? Do structures and administrative procedures adjust in line with changes in legal and societal requirements, or is it rather the administrative machinery that spearheads political and social change ? Finally, how does the civil service's normal adjustment to changing times — disregarding any reform movement — affect administrative reform and political environment ?

by Yves Chapel This is both a detailed account and a brief comment on the rules governing foreign trade in France. The author first comments on the three guiding principles of the relevant French legislation: 1) the individual has a right to import goods, within known procedures, 2) in the procedure of examination of applications, use is made of the services of organs which do not belong to the State as such, 3) there is a strong link with the control of currencies, and the administrative execution is markedly centralised. Monsieur CHAPEL goes on to study the two fundamental legal provisions, and the agencies entrusted with their practical enforcement: Technical Directorates in the Ministries and « Technical Committees », the Office of Currency Control (« Office des Changes »), and finally delineates the actual working of this administrative machinery. His conclusion is that the « Office des Changes » possibly enjoys excessive powers, even though they are indirect, and that this may point to a regrettable tendency towards « dirigism », but he adds that the French legislation is imbued with the principle that such concentration of powers in the hands of the State must be balanced by provisions enabling the individual to defend his interests. This hopeful attitude was justified by a recent liberation of some specified imports, a provision which is commented on in an additional note.

A intervenção nos poderes públicos no campo social e no econômicoé uma tradição na Alemanha. Desde o século XVIII era comum naquelepaís. O Estado prussiano, aliás, gozava de uma reputação tão sólida quanto justificada em tal domínio.A empresa pública — no sentido amplo — reveste, na Alemanha, as maisvariadas formas. Sua história é muito rica e tôda uma evolução se traduziu,em conseqüência, no direito administrativo alemão.No decorrer do século XIX, desenvolveu-se ali a noção de "estabelecimentopúblico" (öffentliche Anstalt), representando a forma clássica dada ainstituições ou serviços dependentes do poder público em todos os seus níveis,isto é, Reich, Estados (Ländsr) e Municípios. Estes estabelecimentos públicosnão exercem propriamente atividade industrial. Quando, logo após a primeiragrande guerra e as crises que se seguiram, o Estado passou a interessar-sepelas emprêsas industriais, desenvolveu-se a noção mais ampla de emprêsapública (öffentliche Unternehmung) conjuntamente com a de emprêsade economia mista.

Il existe un certain paradoxe à revendiquer à la fois l'autonomie de la science de l'Administration et l'interdisciplinarité dans la recherche administrative. L'explication s'en trouve peut-être dans la manière dont est actuellement conçue la science administrative dans les différents pays européens.
La science de l'Administration paraît encore aujourd'hui marquée en quelque mesure par ses débuts. Elle ne s'est pas tout à fait dégagée de ses origines, c'est-à-dire des sciences administratives qui ont servi à la constituer. La recherche administrative reflète l'état de ce processus. Elle est aujourd'hui caractérisée par la juxtaposition des disciplines dont a hérité la science administrative ; elle en est au stade de la pluridisciplinarité. L'intégration des disciplines, l'interdisciplinarité, ne deviendront possibles que lorsque la science administrative sera parvenue à maturité.
Ce rapport analyse en particulier les obstacles à l'interdisciplinarité et les objectifs qu'elle poursuit dans la recherche administrative.