The European Public Sectors in The Age of Managerialism: a cross-country empirical study reconstructing the political history of public administrations in Europe during the XX century

During the XX century European administrative systems have undergone a profound process of managerial revolution during which private sector managerial tools and principles have spread across both central and local governments in many countries. As many scholars have associated this process of change with the raise and diffusion of a managerialist ideology, this paper empirically investigates the electoral propaganda that since 1950s has supported the diffusion of managerialist values across the national administrative systems of the European countries. On the basis of a longitudinal study of the electoral programs released by the European parties since 1950s, this research provides evidence-based knowledge about: i) the different patterns of diffusion of the public-sector managerialist propaganda in Eastern and Western Europe; ii) the controversial relationship that exists between the spread of the managerialist ideology and the actual adoption of managerialist reforms in the national structures of the public sector.