Economic Crisis, Public Administration, and Governance

Abstract

The global financial crisis that began in 2008 has had a significant impact on public administration in most countries in the world. This paper explores several dichotomies in which each of two opposing approaches to pub- lic management are frequently advocated and may be appropriate in different circumstances: path dependence (adhering to existing policies or changing course), centralization or decentralization, politicization (reliance on political appointees or the permanent bureaucracy), coordination and coherence or reten- tion of power by individual ministries or agencies, and time perspective (the search for quick relief or long-term solutions). The crisis has disrupted the sta- bility of public administration in many countries. At the same time, it has facili- tated policy and institutional changes that otherwise might not have been possi- ble to implement. Different countries, experiencing the current economic crisis in different ways, have chosen different options within these dichotomies, with varying levels of success.