Suchergebnisse

MAYNTZ & SCHARPF PUBLISHED A MASTERLY ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLICY-MAKING IN THE GERMAN FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY. THE PREREQUISITES OF ACTIVE POLICY-MAKING ARE SUMMARIZED IN TERMS OF FINANCE, INFORMATION, ORGANIZATION, AND POLITICAL SUPPORT.

IN THE CONTEXT OF A SHIFT OF EMPHASIS FROM POLICY FORMATION TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, THIS PAPER IDENTIFIES THE MAJOR FACTORS OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION. THESE FALL INTO TWO BROAD CATAGEORIES: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION SYSTEM, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION FIELD. IT IS ARGUED IN THIS PAPER THAT THE EFFECTIVENESS OR PROBLEM SOLVING POTENTIAL INHERENT IN A PROGRAMME IS NOT LINKED FIRMLY TO SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS BUT DEPENDS RATHER ON A NUMBER OF CONDITIONS EXTERNAL TO THE PROGRAMME.

THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES EXECUTIVE CONTROL OF THE BUREAUCRACY WHICH IT DESCRIBES AS A PERENNIAL PROBLEM IN THEORY AS WELL AS IN PRACTICE. IT ANALYZES THE EXTENT THAT PARTY-POLITICIZATION HAS CHANGED FROM 1970 TO 1987. IT ALSO ANALYZES WHETHER AND TO WHAT EXTENT THE SUBJECTIVE ROLE DEFINITION OF CIVIL SERVANTS HAS CHANGED. THE FINDINGS TOUCH ON THE HYBRIDIZATION THESIS AND IT IS ASKED WHETHER OR NOT THE ADMINISTRATIVE ELITE IN BONN IS IN FACT CHANGING IN THE HYPOTHESIZED DIRECTION.

THE AUTHORS COMPARE TWO SETS OF NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE ELITES, AMERICAN AND GERMAN, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ONE CRITICAL ELEMENT OF THEIR ROLE UNDERSTANDINGS: THE EXTENT TO WHICH TECHNOCRATIC VALUES APPEAR TO OVERRIDE POLITICAL ONES. BROADLY SIMILAR SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN BONN AND WASHINGTON BETWEEN 1986 AND 1988 ARE THE BASIS FOR COMPARING THE STRENGTH OF TECHNOCRATIC ATTITUDES AMONG THE ELITES.