European Values and Practices in Post-Communist Public Administration: The Baltic States

TY - CHAP

T1 - European Values and Practices in Post-Communist Public Administration: The Baltic States

AU - Pedersen, Karin Hilmer

AU - Johannsen, Lars

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - In Chapter Twelve Karin Hilmer Pedersen and Lars Johannsen look into the changes in public administration and in the identity of public servants after the breakdown of the Soviet regime. Fundamental reconstructions of the political, economic and administrative systems of the Central and East European countries were necessary in order to ‘return to Europe’. The reconstructions in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have been remarkable successes. They have become members of EU and NATO and, with determination, have fought off several deep economic recessions without endangering democracy. Public administrations have undergone complete changes in their legal environment and deep structural reorganisation, combined with a high degree of turnover among staff. This has turned previous Soviet administrations into capable modern administrations. The question highlighted in this chapter is whether the public servants have also returned to Europe in the sense of sharing common European values and administrative identity. Pedersen and Johannsen find that the core principles of integrity and neutrality have been internalised and many, though not all, public servants see responsiveness to citizens’ participation as positive in administrative development.

AB - In Chapter Twelve Karin Hilmer Pedersen and Lars Johannsen look into the changes in public administration and in the identity of public servants after the breakdown of the Soviet regime. Fundamental reconstructions of the political, economic and administrative systems of the Central and East European countries were necessary in order to ‘return to Europe’. The reconstructions in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have been remarkable successes. They have become members of EU and NATO and, with determination, have fought off several deep economic recessions without endangering democracy. Public administrations have undergone complete changes in their legal environment and deep structural reorganisation, combined with a high degree of turnover among staff. This has turned previous Soviet administrations into capable modern administrations. The question highlighted in this chapter is whether the public servants have also returned to Europe in the sense of sharing common European values and administrative identity. Pedersen and Johannsen find that the core principles of integrity and neutrality have been internalised and many, though not all, public servants see responsiveness to citizens’ participation as positive in administrative development.

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 9781907301742

T3 - Routledge/ECPR Studies in European Political Science

SP - 219

EP - 241

BT - The European Public Servant

A2 - Sager, Fritz

A2 - Overeem, Patrick

PB - ECPR Press

ER -