Differential Legacy Effects: Three Propositions on the Impact of Administrative Traditions on Public Administration Reform in Europea East and West

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Researcher: Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling, Kutsal Yeslkagit
Publisher: Routledge
Documentation: Journal of European Public Policy

This article compares the status of historical legacies in explanations of administrative reform in Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. It addresses the puzzle that legacy effects in both regions are associated with institutional resilience and persistence even though the administrative history in these two regions differs considerably. The article clarifies the terminological differences between legacies, legacy explanations, legacy effects and administrative traditions. It then identifies three differences between administrative traditions in Europe East and West and argues that these differences matter for a tradition’s reproductive capacity, i.e., the degree to which an administrative tradition can act as a persistence-breeding force for contemporary administrative developments. The differences between East and West are (1) the long-term stability versus instability of administrative traditions, (2) the internal consistency versus inconsistency of ideas, institutions and practices as the three constitutive levels of an administrative tradition, and (3) the dependence versus autonomy of an administrative tradition from external, mainly foreign, pressure and influence-seeking. The paper concludes that the reproductive capacity of administrative traditions is likely to be lower for Central and Eastern Europe than for Western Europe.

Pengaruh Warisan yang Berbeda: Tiga proposisi pengaruh tradisi administrasi terhadap Reformasi Administrasi Publik di Eropa Timur dan Barat

Jurnal ini membandingkan status warisan historis di dalam penjelasan reformasi administrasi di Eropa Barat dengan Eropa Tengah dan Timur. Penelitian mengungkap teka-teki yang selama ini mengganggu bahwa pengaruh warisan di kedua wilayah yang diperbandingkan tersebut berhubungan dengan resiliensi dan persistensi institusional meskipun sejarah administrasi kedua kawasan tersebut sangat berbeda. Peneliti mengklarifikasi perbedaan terminologi antara warisan, penjelasan warisan, pengaruh warisan dan tradisi administrasi. Langkah selanjutnya ialah mengidentifikasi tiga perbedaan antara tradisi administrasi di Eropa Timur dan Barat serta menyimpulkan bahwa perbedaan yang terjadi sangat berpengaruh bagi kapasitas reproduksi sebuah tradisi, misalnya, sejauh mana tradisi administrasi dapat berperan sebagai pendorong lahirnya persistensi bagi perkembangan administrasi kontemporer. Lingkup perbedaan yang ditemukan di Timur dan Barat adalah (1) antara stabilitas jangka panjang dan ketidakstabilan tradisi administrasi, (2) antara konsistensi internal dan inkonsistensi ide, institusi dan praktek sebagai tiga level penting tradisi administrasi, dan (3) antara dependensi dan otonomi tradisi administrasi dari pihak eksternal, terutama tekanan dan pengaruh dari luar. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa kapasitas reproduksi yang dimiliki oleh tradisi administrasi cenderung lebih rendah di Eropa Tengah dan Timur dibandingkan di Eropa Barat.

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