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Autonomization of the state: From integrated administrative models to single purpose organizations

April 1 - 2, 2005

Call for papers

The New Public Management (NPM) movement with its increasing focus on market adaptation, contracting out, management orientation and improved efficiency, has gained a strong footing in many countries. Structural autonomy, agencification, devolution, deregulation and market competition have been central means. The organization forms have changed from integrated ministerial models to single purpose models, independent agencies and public companies. The development of performance management techniques and new forms of external, formal control forms based on distrust are challenging the traditional internal informal control based on mutual trust. Simultaneously, comprehensive regulatory reforms have been launched internationally, as an attempt to modify some of the increasing devolution and autonomization. Some of these re-regulations, to make it even more complex, is connected to the establishment of autonomous regulatory bodies.

There is, however, an inherent tension in the NPM movement and in regulatory reforms. We face an enduring tension between politics and administration, between autonomy and control, between centralisation and decentralisation, and between efficiency and other values such as national security, central control, openness, democratic participation and professional management, for which no simple solution can be found.

The transition from unitary administration with diverse functions to single purpose organizations has not been subjected to any systematic evaluation. Separate and specialized organizations can contribute to providing a clearer demarcation of responsibilities and distribution of functions, but may also result in problems of coordination and undermining of political control. An important general task for the workshop is to examine the empirical foundation of the NPM and regulatory reforms. Both papers focusing on reform and (re)-regulation processes and on reform and regulatory effects and practice are welcomed; as well as comparative studies both across countries and across sectors, case studies and more quantitative oriented papers.

First, we will ask for papers that focus on how the complex trade-off between political control and agency autonomy is in practice. Is it possible to accommodate the political control requirements at the same time as autonomization, deregulation and market forces are gaining speed? What is the role of political leadership in new regulatory regimes? Will political control become manifest through new forms of control with increased importance attached to other forms of regulation, supervision and audit?

Second, we ask for papers that examine the deregulation/re-regulation complexity. At the same time as deregulation does constitute an important component in the regulatory reforms, a re-regulation is occurring whereby the process of control and supervision is adopting new forms. What new forms of control are arising?

Third, we ask for papers that examine the problem of role purification and coordination. To what extent and how is it possible to differentiate between the governmental roles of owner, purchaser, provider, regulator and controller and what are the consequences for coordination and accountability?

The workshop will be held at Stanford University. SCANCOR (The Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research) will cover the conference expenses including meals during the conference and accommodation for two nights. Travel expenses are to be covered by the participants. The number of participants is limited to 30.

Organizing and Coordinating Committee: Professor Tom Christensen, University of Oslo and professor Per Lægreid, University of Bergen.

Abstracts for papers should be sent to the organizers no later than December 1 2004. Authors will be notified of the acceptance of abstracts before the end of December 2004. A tentative program will be available in January 2005. Full papers will be due by March 1, 2005.

The Workshop is co-sponsored with the International Political Science Research Committee on the Structure and Organization of Government (SOG). Governance—which is sponsored by SOG—has the right of first refusal for all papers presented at its conferences. These papers plus all others will be considered for publication in an edited collection focused on the conference theme. Authors invited to contribute to the collection will be asked to submit revised versions of their papers by June 1.

Tom Christensen
Department of Political Science
University of Oslo
Tom.Christensen@stv.uio.no


Per Lægreid
Department of Administration and Organization Theory/Rokkan Centre
University of Bergen
Per.Lagreid@aorg.uib.no