Convergence or Divergence: What has been Happening in Europe?

Abstract

Many people — including a number of prominent experts — believe that there is a considerable degree of convergence between public management reforms all over the world. If this were true it would represent a remarkable example of ‘globalization’ in a field of activity (national public administrations) which, a generation ago, was usually seen as distinctively different (‘French centralism/statism’, the ‘British way’, ‘German juridicism’, and so on). But is it true that national reform trajectories are converging and, if so, what are they converging on, and why? In this chapter we will examine these questions, with particular reference to Europe.