Civil Servants and Politics: A Delicate Balance [Hardcover]

This comparative study focuses on the changing relations between civil servants and politicians in the European Union in the last two decades. As well as national case studies this book also looks into politico-administrative relations in supranational institutions such as the European Commission and the European Parliament.List of Tables List of Figures List of Abbreviations PART I: CIVIL SERVANTS AND POLITICS: SETTING THE SCENE Introduction; C.Neuhold & S.Vanhoonacker Politicisation: What is it and why should we care?; B.G.Peters Civil Servants and Politicians: Problems and Future Prospects; L.Verhey Civil Servants and Whistle-blowing: Loyal Neutrality and/or Democratic Ideal?; G.Hunt PART II: POLITICISATION OF CIVIL SERVANTS BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM? COUNTRY STUDIES Civil Servants and Politicians: A Very British Relationship; D.Woodhouse Managerialism and politicisation in the Dutch Civil Service; S.van Thiel Civil Servants: How to Support the Political Level: The French Case; F.Baron Civil Service Reform in Slovakia and Hungary: The Road to Professionalisation?; K.Staronova Civil Servants and Politics in Germany; U.Battis PART III: SUPRANATIONAL BUREAUCRACIES AND CONSEQUENCES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PLAYERS Commission Civil Servants and Politics: De-politicised Bureaucrats in an Increasingly Political Organisation; M.W.Bauer & J.Ege The European Parliament's Administration: Between Neutral and Politicised Competence; C.Neuhold & I.Romanyshyn Conclusion; S.Vanhoonacker, C.Neuhold & L.Verhey

'This anthology deals with an enduring and highly important theme in public administration: the extent to which officials are recruited and promoted according to party-political criteria. The theme is crucial because it is related to administrative effectiveness and trust in government. The authors present cases that illustrate very well the many variants of such politicisation within Europe.'

Morton Egeberg, ARENA Centre fl‡