Same aims, different pathways - deconcentrated state administration in Croatia and Hungary

Abstract

30 years after the beginning of democratic transition, deconcentrated state administration (DSA) in Croatia and Hungary stands on different pathways - one led to the abolition of county state administration offices and extensive fragmentation of DSA, the other led to the integration of DSA and transforming county government offices to one of the biggest first-instance state administration bodies in Europe. The paper compares developmental paths of Croatian and Hungarian DSA during this period putting it into broader institutional context of changes in local self-government system. The comparation of Croatian and Hungarian case explores the interplay of historical heritage, pressures from international and EU environment, and national specificities on shaping contemporary territorial administration systems, role that DSA plays in post-socialist countries, and the factors that dictate its developmental changes, roles, and significance in territorial administration system.