<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The article analyses changes in the reform agendas of the Lithuanian government in the period 2004 – 2017. Instead of exploring the systemic and formal agendas of administrative reforms based on government strategies and programmes, it focuses on the institutional and actual agendas of Lithuanian authorities using a set of 20 reform initiatives. In addition to the analysis of the institutional context, we also assess a coupling logic and the exercise of political or bureaucratic entrepreneurship during reform policy making. The article finds that budgetary constraints and the reform policy priorities of the Lithuanian governments explain the ambitious agendas of administrative reforms during the 2008 – 2012 government and, to a lesser extent, during the 2016 – 2020 government. The political logic of coupling and political entrepreneurship dominated the flow of the reform process when these governments were in office, producing the top-down approach to reform policy making. In contrast, the 2004 – 2006, 2006 – 2008 and 2012 – 2016 governments relied strongly on a policy-centred logic of coupling together with bureaucratic entrepreneurship, which resulted in the bottom-up approach to administrative reforms in the country.</p></abstract>

The article analyses changes in the reform agendas of the Lithuanian government in the period 2004 – 2017. Instead of exploring the systemic and formal agendas of administrative reforms based on government strategies and programmes, it focuses on the institutional and actual agendas of Lithuanian authorities using a set of 20 reform initiatives. In addition to the analysis of the institutional context, we also assess a coupling logic and the exercise of political or bureaucratic entrepreneurship during reform policy making. The article finds that budgetary constraints and the reform policy priorities of the Lithuanian governments explain the ambitious agendas of administrative reforms during the 2008 – 2012 government and, to a lesser extent, during the 2016 – 2020 government. The political logic of coupling and political entrepreneurship dominated the flow of the reform process when these governments were in office, producing the top-down approach to reform policy making. In contrast, the 2004 – 2006, 2006 – 2008 and 2012 – 2016 governments relied strongly on a policy-centred logic of coupling together with bureaucratic entrepreneurship, which resulted in the bottom-up approach to administrative reforms in the country.

The Agendas of Public Administration Reforms in Lithuania: Windows of Opportunity in the Period 2004 – 2017

Public Administration, Institute of International Relations and Political Science

NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The article analyses changes in the reform agendas of the Lithuanian government in the period 2004 – 2017. Instead of exploring the systemic and formal agendas...

The Agendas of Public Administration Reforms in Lithuania: Windows of Opportunity in the Period 2004 – 2017

Published Online: Jul 17, 2018

Page range: 91 - 114

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nispa-2018-0004

Keywords
public administration reforms, agenda setting, windows of opportunity, policy entrepreneurship, Lithuania

© 2018 Vitalis Nakrošis, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The Agendas of Public Administration Reforms in Lithuania: Windows of Opportunity in the Period 2004 – 2017

Published Online: Jul 17, 2018

Page range: 91 - 114

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nispa-2018-0004

Keywordspublic administration reforms, agenda setting, windows of opportunity, policy entrepreneurship, Lithuania

© 2018 Vitalis Nakrošis, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
public administration reforms, agenda setting, windows of opportunity, policy entrepreneurship, Lithuania