Multilevel Administration in International and National Contexts

Abstract

Benz, Corcaci, and Doser outline a framework for advancing research on relations between international public administration (IPA) and national administration. Based on the concept of multilevel administration (MLA), the chapter highlights the distinct structural conditions and patterns of coordination predominating in the international context. By comparing international and national MLA, it illustrates the particular interaction modes, mechanisms, and coordination patterns linking these administrations, with variations depending on the underlying institutional setting, political control, interest intermediation, and territorial or functional differentiation of administration. Moreover, Benz, Corcaci, and Doser consider the European administrative system as a hybrid case of MLA. In a comparative perspective, administrations reveal different constellations of coordination patterns between levels, which are generally applied in a strategic way to manage interdependence and to extend influence.