Abstract
A professional civil service is the cornerstone of an effectively performing public sector. Politicisation is generally seen as the primary impediment to successful administrative development (Verheijen 2001; Pierre and Peters 2001), as it runs contrary to the principles of merit, professionalism and permanence that are essential foundations of a functioning civil service. The transition of Central and Eastern European countries into modern democracies in the past two decades brought a lot of questions and problems connected with institutional redesign, including questions regarding the clear division between political and administrative officials. This interaction between elected politicians and permanent career civil servants is a central theme of institutional politics. The relations between these two actors at the centre of government affect the capacity of governments to make and implement policies to the extent expected from modern political systems. The relationship between politicians and civil servants is of particular relevance for the new EU member countries from Central and Eastern Europe.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Beblavý, M. (2009) ‘Europeanization and Bureaucratic Autonomy in the New Member States: A Case Study of the Agricultural Paying Agency in Slovakia’, Public Administration 87(4): 923–937.
Bossaert, D. and Demmke, C. (2003) Civil Services in the Accession States (Maastricht: European Institute of Public Administration).
Dery, D. (2002) ‘Fuzzy Control’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 12(2): 191–216.
Dimitrova, A. (2010) ‘The New Member States of the EU in the Aftermath of Enlargement: Do New European Rules Remain Empty Shell?’ Journal of European Public Policy 17(1), 137–148.
Fonyó, G. (1980) A közigazgatás személyi állomány [The personnel of public administration] (Budapest: KJK).
Gajduschek, G. (2007a) ‘Politicisation, Professionalisation, or Both? Hungary’s Civil Service System’, Communist and Post-Communist Studies 40(3): 343–362.
Gajduschek, G. (2007b) ‘Socialist and Post-Socialist Civil Service in Hungary’, in András, J., Takács, P. and Tatham, A. F. (eds) The Transformation of the Hungarian Legal Order 1985–2005 (Alphen aan de Rijn: Kluwer Law International), 123–126.
Láštic, E. (2010) ‘Can’t Have it Both Ways? Administrative Capacity of European Affairs’, in D. Malová, M. Rybář, V. Bilčík, E. Láštic, Z. Lisoňová, M. Mišík and M. Pašiak (eds) From Listening to Action? New Member States in the European Union (Bratislava: FiFUK).
Malíková, L. and Staroňová, K. (2005) ‘Politico-Administrative Relations under Coalition Politics in Slovakia’, in Peters, B.G., Verheijen, T. and Vass, L. (eds) Coalitions of the Unwilling: Politicians and Civil Servants in Coalition Governments (Bratislava: NISPAcee), 178–203.
Meyer-Sahling, J. H. (2004) ‘Civil Service Reform in Post-Communist Europe: The Bumpy Road to Depoliticisation’, West European Politics, 27(1), 71–103).
Meyer-Sahling, J. H. (2011) ‘The Durability of EU Civil Service Policy in Central and Eastern Europe after Accession’, Governance, 24(2), 231–260.
Metcalfe, L. (1994) The Weakest Links: Building Organisational Networks for Multilevel Regulation (Paris: OECD).
Peters, B. G. and Pierre, J. (2001) Politicians, Bureaucrats and Administrative Reform (London: Routledge).
Staroňová, K. and Brown, R. (2006) Administrative Capacity in the EU 8: Slovakia Country Report, Background Paper (Washington DC: World Bank).
Staroňová, K. and Láštic, E. (2012) ‘Into the Labyrinth: The Rewards for High Public Office in Slovakia’, in Peters, B.G. and Gand Brans, M. (eds) Rewards of High Public Officials (London: Routledge).
Vass, L. (2001) ‘Politicians, Bureaucrats and Administrative Reform in Hungary: Who Stops Whom?’ in Peters, B. G. and Pierre, J. (eds) Politicians, Bureaucrats and Administrative Reform (London: Routledge), 83–92.
Verheijen, T. (1997) ‘New Public Management and Other Western Reform Strategies: The Wrong Medicine for Central and Eastern Europe?’ in Coombes, D. and Verheijen, T. (eds) Public Administration Reforms – East and West (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers).
Verheijen, T. (2001) Who Rules? Politico-Administrative Relations (Bratislava: NISPAcee).
Verheijen, T. (2006) EU-8 Administrative Capacity in the New Member States: The Limits of Innovation? (Washington, DC: World Bank).
Verheijen, T. and Kotchegura, A. (1999) Civil Service Systems in Central and Eastern Europe. (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers).
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2013 Katarína Staroňová and Gyorgy Gajduschek
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Staroňová, K., Gajduschek, G. (2013). Civil Service Reform in Slovakia and Hungary: The Road to Professionalisation?. In: Neuhold, C., Vanhoonacker, S., Verhey, L. (eds) Civil Servants and Politics. Public Sector Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316813_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316813_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-33872-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-31681-3
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)