Why does the state bureaucracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) appear to have been affected very little by the post-communist transformation when compared t... » 

Why does the state bureaucracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) appear to have been affected very little by the post-communist transformation when compared to other public institutions and sectors of the economy? Why have declared reforms of civil services failed so far to reach most of their objectives and even have had a counter-productive effect in some cases? On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the development of the Russian and Czech state administration over the last decade and a half the author provides a thorough insight into the causes of the prevailing tendencies in the administrative development of CEE countries and explores key factors that have led to more than modest results in the reforms of their civil services.

Alexander Kotchegura is Deputy Head of Chair of State and Municipal Management at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Russian Peoples. Friendship University (Moscow). «