Organisational Anatomy of Governments Project

Why do central government organisations change all the time, i.e. why are they constantly establishing, reorganising or abolishing their organisational elements? This research project studies the organisational anatomy of central governments and analyses why it matters for the formulation of government policies, especially in austerity policy, climate policy, and welfare policy. Following organisation theory, it argues that organisational dynamics in central governments are influenced by their institution al context, comprising formal rules but also normative imperatives and cognitive worldviews. It expects that organisational dynamics differ also across policy fields due to actor constellations and interaction modes. In turn, it assumes that the organisat ional dynamics in central governments shape the formulation of government policies e.g. by defining formal boundaries and authority structures, also influencing the specialisation and fragmentation of ministerial bureaucracies. Empirically, it analyses or ganisational dynamics in the German federal government from 1949 to 2011, particularly in austerity policy, climate policy, and welfare policy. More importantly, the research project aims to compare these with organisational dynamics in the Norwegian cent ral government. As such, the research project is closely linked to the research agenda of the Department for Administration and Organisation Theory (University of Bergen). First, its theoretical argument is strongly inspired by the 'Bergen approach' (Olse n 2007) in organisation theory. Second, it echoes the seminal work by Bergen researchers on state mapping and the Norwegian State Administration Database - and strongly benefits from collaborative research. Lastly, it adds a complementary perspective to t he research project on 'Reforming the Welfare State' in Bergen by studying the German governmental structures in welfare policy and comparing them with two other policy fields and the Norwegian state administration.