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The Relationship between Politics and Administration at the Flemish Local Level: Intermunicipal Differences Explained

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  • Hennau Sofie

    (Law Faculty, Hasselt University, Belgium.)

Abstract

When it comes to political-administrative relations, New Public Management has aimed for a stronger differentiation between political and administrative matters and for an empowerment of the administration towards the political level.This article investigates the perceived degree of administrative discretion at the municipal level in the Flemish region of Belgium. We use data from a survey with Flemish municipal CEOs from 2019.The results suggest that the degree of administrative discretion in Flemish municipalities is relatively high during policy preparation. Nevertheless, during other phases of the policy cycle most municipal CEOs perceive a certain political impact on the functioning of their administration, which reaches further than steering on the main policy lines. Second, a majority identifies a lack of mutual trust between the executive board and the administrators.Furthermore, administrative discretion increases with the size of the municipality and the assessed capacity of the administration. Also in municipalities where the key actors of political-administrative relationships remained unchanged for a longer period, the administration has more leeway to act. Lastly, the results nuance the impact of the municipal financial situation and the composition of the majority on the degree of administrative discretion.

Suggested Citation

  • Hennau Sofie, 2020. "The Relationship between Politics and Administration at the Flemish Local Level: Intermunicipal Differences Explained," NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy, Sciendo, vol. 13(2), pages 141-160, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:njopap:v:13:y:2020:i:2:p:141-160:n:8
    DOI: 10.2478/nispa-2020-0018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tom Christensen & Per Lægreid, 2001. "NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: The effects of contractualism and devolution on political control," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 73-94, January.
    2. Bert George & Sebastian Desmidt & Poul A. Nielsen & Martin Baekgaard, 2017. "Rational planning and politicians’ preferences for spending and reform: replication and extension of a survey experiment," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(9), pages 1251-1271, October.
    3. Hood, Christopher, 1995. "The "new public management" in the 1980s: Variations on a theme," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 20(2-3), pages 93-109.
    4. Wynen & Verhoest & Ongaro & van Thiel & in cooperation with the COBRA network, 2014. "Innovation-Oriented Culture in the Public Sector: Do managerial autonomy and result control lead to innovation?," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(1), pages 45-66, January.
    5. Tom Christensen & Per Lægreid, 2015. "Performance and Accountability—A Theoretical Discussion and an Empirical Assessment," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 207-225, June.
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