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Bridging bureaucracy and democracy in Europe: A comparative study of perceived managerial excellence, satisfaction with public services, and trust in governance

Author

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  • Eran Vigoda-Gadot

    (University of Haifa, Israel, eranv@poli.haifa.ac.il)

  • Aviv Shoham

    (University of Haifa, Israel)

  • Dana R Vashdi

    (University of Haifa, Israel)

Abstract

The cross-country study of public administration based on citizens’ surveys in Europe is a relatively novel approach to analyzing the social and political dynamics of the continent. The goal of this study is to examine some aspects of bureaucracy and democracy as perceived by knowledgeable citizens in six countries (Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Norway, Slovakia, and Spain). A rationale is developed to support hypotheses about the relationship between democracy and bureaucracy. The study also proposes hypotheses about differences between the countries in terms of satisfaction with public services, trust in governance and public administration agencies, and a set of managerial-oriented variables of the public sector (i.e. perceived innovation, responsiveness, professionalism, organizational politics, leadership and vision, ethics and morality). The study’s findings indicate that various aspects of bureaucracy and democracy differ across countries and that democratic longevity may be a good explanation for these differences.

Suggested Citation

  • Eran Vigoda-Gadot & Aviv Shoham & Dana R Vashdi, 2010. "Bridging bureaucracy and democracy in Europe: A comparative study of perceived managerial excellence, satisfaction with public services, and trust in governance," European Union Politics, , vol. 11(2), pages 289-308, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:11:y:2010:i:2:p:289-308
    DOI: 10.1177/1465116510363657
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sandford Borins, 2000. "What border? Public management innovation in the United States and Canada," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(1), pages 46-74.
    2. Johan P. Olsen, 2005. "Maybe it is time to rediscover bureaucracy?," ARENA Working Papers 10, ARENA.
    3. Stacey G. Ulbig, 2002. "Policies, Procedures, and People: Sources of Support for Government?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(3), pages 789-809, September.
    4. Shipan, Charles R., 2004. "Regulatory Regimes, Agency Actions, and the Conditional Nature of Congressional Influence," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(3), pages 467-480, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gustavo Gouvêa Maciel & Luís de Sousa, 2018. "Legal Corruption and Dissatisfaction with Democracy in the European Union," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 653-674, November.
    2. Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta, 2013. "Do influential contacts help in receiving fair treatment from public officials?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(15), pages 1407-1412, October.
    3. Judith Clifton & Daniel Díaz-Fuentes & Marcos Fernández-Gutiérrez, 2014. "The impact of socio-economic background on satisfaction: evidence for policy-makers," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 183-206, October.

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