TY - BOOK A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Politik- und Verwaltungsreform in Kontinentaleuropa : Subnationaler Institutionenwandel im deutsch- französischen Vergleich T3 - Staatslehre und politische Verwaltung Y1 - 2009 SN - 978-3-8329-3728-7 VL - 14 PB - Nomos CY - Baden-Baden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Jäkel, Tim T1 - Competing, collaborating or controlling? - Comparing benchmarking in European local government JF - Public money & management : integrating theory and practice in public management N2 - The way that local authorities in OECD countries compare and benchmark their performance varies widely. This paper explains some of the reasons behind the variations. The current local government benchmarking schemes in Europe their governance, coverage and impactlargely depend on the institutional characteristics of the respective administrative and local government systems (in other words, the starting conditions). There are signs that, as a result of the fiscal crisis in Europe and need to cut public sector costs, many countries (but not England and Wales) are leaning towards compulsory large-scale benchmarking projects. KW - Benchmarking KW - cross-country comparison KW - local government KW - performance assessment KW - public sector reform Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2013.799815 SN - 0954-0962 VL - 33 IS - 4 SP - 269 EP - 276 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Local government reform between 'exogenous' and 'endogenous' driving forces : Institution building in the city of Paris N2 - The article attempts to analyse institutional reforms in the multi-level system of the French capital city. The key questions are the developments in central-local relations and what factors influenced these changes over the last century. The author seeks to identify 'critical junctures' in institutional development and explore their impact on the relationships between state and municipality on the one hand and between upper and lower tiers of city- government on the other. Looking at institution building in Paris as the dependent variable the article takes a primarily institutionalist approach in identifying the relevant factors which explain local government reform in the capital city ('what shapes institutions?') Y1 - 2006 UR - http://www.metapress.com/link.asp?id=104725 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/14719030500518790 SN - 1471-9037 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jäkel, Tim A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Lernen von den Besten? Steuerung und Nutzung von Leistungsvergleichen in europäischen Verwaltungen Y1 - 2014 SN - 978-3-8474-0117-9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kropp, Sabine A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Wissen und Expertise in Politik und Verwaltung : eine einleitende Zusammenfassung Y1 - 2014 SN - 978-3-8474-0117-9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Frankreichs inkrementeller Weg der Kommunalreform : territoriale Konsolidierung ohne Fusion Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-3-8329-7917-1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Administrative Reforms in the Intergovernmental Setting BT - Impacts on Multi-Level Governance from a Comparative Perspective JF - Multi-Level Governance: The Missing Linkages (Critical Perspectives on International Public Sector Management) N2 - Purpose This chapter is aimed at contributing to the question of how institutional reforms affect multi-level governance (MLG) capacities and thus the performance of public task fulfillment with a particular focus on the local level of government in England, France, and Germany. Methodology/approach Drawing on concepts of institutional evaluation, we analytically distinguish six dimensions of impact assessment: vertical coordination; horizontal coordination; efficiency/savings; effectiveness/quality; political accountability/democratic control; equity of service standards. Methodologically, we rely on document analysis and expert judgments that could be gleaned from case studies in the three countries and a comprehensive evaluation of the available secondary data in the respective national and local contexts. Findings Institutional reforms in the intergovernmental setting have exerted a significant influence on task fulfillment and the performance of service delivery. Irrespective of whether MLG practice corresponds to type I or type II, task devolution (decentralization/de-concentration) furthers the interlocal variation and makes the equity of service delivery shrink. There is a general tendency of improved horizontal/MLG type I coordination capacities, especially after political decentralization, less in the case of administrative decentralization. However, decentralization often entails considerable additional costs which sometimes overload local governments. Research implications The distinction between multi-purpose territorial organization/MLG I and single-purpose functional organization/MLG II provides a suitable analytical frame for institutional evaluation and impact assessment of reforms in the intergovernmental setting. Furthermore, comparative research into the relationship between MLG and institutional reforms is needed to reveal the explanatory power of intervening factors, such as the local budgetary and staff situation, local policy preferences, and political interests in conjunction with the salience of the transferred tasks. Practical implications The findings provide evidence on the causal relationship between specific types of (vertical) institutional reforms, performance, and task-related characteristics. Policy-makers and government actors may use this information when drafting institutional reform programs and determining the allocation of public tasks in the intergovernmental setting. Social implications In general, the euphoric expectations placed upon decentralization strategies in modern societies cannot straightforwardly be justified. Our findings show that any type of task transfer to lower levels of government exacerbates existing disparities or creates new ones. However, the integration of tasks within multi-functional, politically accountable local governments may help to improve MLG type I coordination in favor of local communities and territorially based societal actors, while the opposite may be said with regard to de-concentration and the strengthening of MLG type II coordination. Originality/value The chapter addresses a missing linkage in the existing MLG literature which has hitherto predominantly been focused on the political decision-making and on the implementation of reforms in the intergovernmental settings of European countries, whereas the impact of such reforms and of their consequences for MLG has remained largely ignored. KW - Public administration KW - decentralization KW - institutional reforms KW - local governments KW - intergovernmental setting Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-1-78441-874-8 (print) SN - 978-1-78441-873-1 (epub) U6 - https://doi.org/10.1108/S2045-794420150000004008 SN - 2045-7944 SN - 2045-7952 VL - 4 SP - 183 EP - 215 PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited CY - Bingley ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bogumil, Jörg T1 - Legitimation von Verwaltungshandeln - Veränderungen und Konstanten BT - Einleitung JF - Der moderne Staat : dms ; Zeitschrift für Public Policy, Recht und Management N2 - Der Beitrag untersucht das Wechsel- und Zusammenspiel von öffentlichem Verwaltungshandeln und Legitimität. Ausgegangen wird davon, dass in den letzten Jahren sowohl die Input- als auch die Outputdimension staatlicher Legitimationsbeschaffung signifikante Veränderungen durchlaufen haben, die die öffentliche Verwaltung intensiv berühren. Mit Rückgriff auf die anderen Beiträge des Schwerpunktheftes und unter Hinzuziehung weiterer Erkenntnisse wird überblicksartig untersucht, ob sich die Legitimationsproduktion durch Verwaltungshandeln verändert hat und wenn ja, inwiefern. Im Ergebnis ergibt sich ein partieller Wandel hinsichtlich der Legitimationsquellen von Verwaltungshandeln. Sowohl im Input-Bereich (Transparenzgesetze, vorgezogene Bürgerbeteiligung) als auch im Output-Bereich (z.B. Normenkontrollrat) gibt es neue bzw. einen stärkeren Einsatz schon bekannter Instrumente (Expertenkommissionen). Ob dieser Wandel der Instrumente und der potenziellen Quellen von Legitimation allerdings tatsächlich die Legitimität des Verwaltungshandelns verändert, also zu einer Legitimitätssteigerung führt, wird teils skeptisch beurteilt und bedarf daher weiterer empirischer Untersuchung. Y1 - 2015 SN - 1865-7192 SN - 2196-1395 VL - 8 IS - 2 SP - 237 EP - 251 PB - Budrich CY - Leverkusen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine ED - Döhler, Marian ED - Franzke, Jochen ED - Wegrich, Kai T1 - Verwaltung und Verwaltungsrefomen im internationalen Vergleich JF - Modernisierung des öffentlichen Sektors / Sonderband ; 45 Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-3-8487-2062-0 SN - 978-3-8452-6270-3 SN - 0945-1072 SP - 109 EP - 132 PB - Nomos, Ed. sigma CY - Baden-Baden ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Politikevaluation/Evaluationsforschung T2 - Kleines Lexikon der Politik Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-3-406-68106-6 SP - 480 EP - 483 PB - C. H. Beck CY - München ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Radtke, Ina T1 - Die Bundesverwaltung als moderner Betrieb II : Teil 4 BT - Verwaltungsreformen im internationalen Vergleich Y1 - 2015 PB - Hochschule des Bundes für öffentliche Verwaltung CY - Brühl ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Wayenberg, Ellen T1 - Institutional impact assessment in multi-level systems: conceptualizing decentralization effects from a comparative perspective JF - International review of administrative sciences : an international journal of comparative public administration N2 - Comparative literature on institutional reforms in multi-level systems proceeds from a global trend towards the decentralization of state functions. However, there is only scarce knowledge about the impact that decentralization has had, in particular, upon the sub-central governments involved. How does it affect regional and local governments? Do these reforms also have unintended outcomes on the sub-central level and how can this be explained? This article aims to develop a conceptual framework to assess the impacts of decentralization on the sub-central level from a comparative and policy-oriented perspective. This framework is intended to outline the major patterns and models of decentralization and the theoretical assumptions regarding de-/re-centralization impacts, as well as pertinent cross-country approaches meant to evaluate and compare institutional reforms. It will also serve as an analytical guideline and a structural basis for all the country-related articles in this Special Issue. Points for practitioners Decentralization reforms are approved as having a key role to play in the attainment of ‘good governance’. Yet, there is also the enticement on the part of state governments to offload an ever-increasing amount of responsibilities to, and overtask, local levels of government, which can lead to increasing performance disparities within local sub-state jurisdictions. Against this background, the article provides a conceptual framework to assess reform impacts from a comparative perspective. The analytical framework can be used by practitioners to support their decisions about new decentralization strategies or necessary adjustments regarding ongoing reform measures. KW - administrative reform KW - comparison KW - coordination KW - effectiveness KW - efficiency KW - impact assessment KW - institutional reform KW - local government Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852315583194 SN - 0020-8523 SN - 1461-7226 VL - 82 IS - 2 SP - 233 EP - 272 PB - Sage CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Reiter, Renate T1 - Decentralization of the French welfare state: from 'big bang' to 'muddling through' JF - International Review of Administrative Sciences N2 - This article analyses the decentralization of the French welfare state focusing on the transfer of the Revenu minimum d’insertion (RMI) welfare benefit to the departments in 2003 and 2004. We map and explain the effects of the reform on the system and performance of the subnational provision of welfare tasks. To evaluate the impact of decentralization on the RMI-related action of the departments, we carry out a qualitative document analysis and use data from two case studies. The RMI decentralization offers an exemplary insight into the incremental implementation of French decentralization. We find many unintended effects in terms of the performance and outcome of the subnational welfare provision. This is traced back to the combining of institutional and policy reforms and the inadequate translation of high political expectations into an inadequate action programme both resulting in excessive demands on the local actors. Points for practitioners The decentralization of public tasks is associated with high expectations in terms of the effects on the performance of public services and public governance on the subnational levels. For an in-depth measure the range of administrative performance and political systems effects should be taken into account. We propose a five-dimensional scheme allowing for the determination of decentralization effects on the resource input to and the operative output of subnational public services, on the horizontal coordination between subnational task holders and the affected non-public stakeholders, on the vertical intergovernmental coordination, and on the democratic accountability of subnational authorities. KW - decentralization KW - France KW - incremental reform KW - welfare state Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/0.1177/0020852315583194 SN - 0020-8523 SN - 1461-7226 VL - 82 IS - 2 SP - 255 EP - 272 PB - Sage CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Hafner, Jonas T1 - Verwaltungshandeln in der Flüchtlingskrise BT - Die Erstaufnahmeeinrichtungen der Länder und die Zukunft des Verwaltungsvollzugssystems Asyl JF - Verwaltung & Management : VM ; Zeitschrift für moderne Verwaltung N2 - In dem Beitrag werden das Verwaltungshandeln in der Flüchtlingskrise und mögliche Ursachen der aufgetretenen Vollzugsprobleme untersucht. Im Fokus stehen vor allem die Vollzugsrealität und die Verwaltungsvarianz im Bereich der Erstaufnahme von Flüchtlingen auf der Länderebene sowie die durch das BAMF als auch die Bundes länder mittlerweile begonnenen Reformen im Verwaltungsvollzugssystem. Leitfrage des Aufsatzes ist, ob das bestehende Verwaltungsvollzugssystem nicht nur in den jeweiligen Zuständigkeiten reformbedürftig ist, sondern ob es auch zu einer neuen Zuständigkeitsverteilung im Bundesstaat kommen sollte. Y1 - 2016 SN - 0947-9856 IS - 3 SP - 126 EP - 136 PB - Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft CY - Baden-Baden ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Verwaltung in der Vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft T2 - Handbuch Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft N2 - Die international vergleichende Verwaltungswissenschaft (Comparative Public Administration) ist in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten zu einem wichtigen Teilsegment der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft geworden. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird am Beispiel wesentlicher Typologien, Begriffe und Forschungserträge herausgearbeitet, welche Rolle das Vergleichen in der Verwaltungswissenschaft und die öffentliche Verwaltung als Gegenstandsbereich der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft spielen. Es werden zentrale Befunde zur Wirkungsweise und zum Erklärungsbeitrag unterschiedlicher Verwaltungssysteme in vergleichender Perspektive vorgestellt. KW - Comparative Public Administration KW - Kommunale Selbstverwaltung KW - Öffentlicher Dienst KW - Organisation KW - Verwaltungswissenschaft Y1 - 2016 SP - 345 EP - 359 PB - Springer-VS CY - Wiesbaden ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine ED - Wang, Yukai ED - Färber, Gisela T1 - Local Government in Germany BT - Key Features and Current Reforms T2 - Comparative Studies on Vertical Administration Reforms in China and Germany (Speyerer Forschungsberichte ; 285) KW - China KW - Deutschland KW - Verwaltungsreform KW - China KW - Germany KW - administrative reform Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-3-941738-23-2 SP - 51 EP - 67 PB - Deutsches Forschungsinstitut für öffentliche Verwaltung CY - Speyer ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bouckaert, Geert T1 - Conclusion : Tensions, Challenges, and Future "Flags" of Local Public Sector Reforms and Comparative T2 - Local Public Sector Reforms in Times of Crisis : national trajectories and international comparisons Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-1-137-52547-5 SP - 347 EP - 354 PB - Palgrave Macmillan CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Hafner, Jonas T1 - Verwaltungshandeln in der Flüchtlingskrise BT - Vollzugsdefizite und Koordinationschaos bei der Erstaufnahme und der Asylantragsbearbeitung JF - Die Verwaltung : Zeitschrift für Verwaltungsrecht und Verwaltungswissenschaften Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3790/verw.49.2.289 SN - 1865-5211 VL - 49 IS - 2 SP - 289 EP - 300 PB - Duncker und Humblot CY - Berlin ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bouckaert, Geert ED - Kuhlmann, Sabine ED - Bouckaert, Geert T1 - Introduction : Comparing Local Public Sector Reforms BT - Institutional Polices in Context T3 - Local Public Sector Reforms in Times of Crisis : national trajectories and international comparisons Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-1-137-52547-5 SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Palgrave Macmillan CY - London ET - 1 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schwab, Christian A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Gerber, Sascha T1 - Digitalisierung von Verwaltungsleistungen in Bürgerämtern T2 - Handbuch Digitalisierung in Staat und Verwaltung N2 - Die Digitalisierung der öffentlichen Leistungserbringung für die Bürger bildet gegenwärtig einen Schwerpunkt der Modernisierungsaktivitäten in Staat und Verwaltung. Hinsichtlich der digitalen Informationsbereitstellung hat es zwar deutliche Fortschritte gegeben, insgesamt zeigt sich jedoch eine allenfalls moderate „E-Government-Performanz“ bei der digitalen Kommunikation zwischen Verwaltung und Bürgern sowie bei Transaktionen, d. h. der medienbruchfreien Abschließbarkeit von Verwaltungsvorgängen. Als wesentliche Gründe für die ernüchternde Bilanz der lokalen Verwaltungsdigitalisierung sind neben technischen, rechtlichen, finanziellen und personellen Barrieren insbesondere politische und institutionelle Hürden zu nennen. Viele Probleme sind zudem auch bei E-Government-Funktionen (z. B. der Online-Formulare oder elektronischen Bezahlmöglichkeiten) zu verzeichnen. Positiv schneidet dagegen die elektronische Terminvergabe ab, die in den Bürgerämtern zu wesentlichen Prozess- und Serviceverbesserungen geführt hat. Allerdings sind neben positiven Effekten, wie beispielsweise schnelleren Bearbeitungszeiten und kürzeren Wartezeiten, auch dysfunktionale Digitalisierungseffekte zu verzeichnen, wie erhöhter Arbeitsstress aufgrund eines gestiegenen Kommunikationsaufkommens (v. a. durch Email) und der damit einhergehenden Verlagerung des Arbeitsaufkommens vom Frontoffice ins Backoffice. Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-658-23667-0 SN - 978-3-658-23668-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-23668-7 SP - 437 EP - 448 PB - Springer CY - Wiesbaden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Laffin, Martin A1 - Wayenberg, Ellen T1 - Subnational Government in the Research Spotlight BT - the Merit of EGPA Permament study Group 5 JF - Public Administration in Europe : The Contribution of EGPA N2 - Kuhlmann, Laffin and Wayenberg point out three main strands of subnational changes that have significantly dominated the research field and focus of Permanent Study Group 5. Elaborating upon the Study Group’s contributions, the chapter overviews relevant research questions, approaches and findings that have been touched upon concerning local and regional government systems, subnational reforms and their evaluation in a multi-level governance setting. The chapter concludes with zooming in on austerity as a main driver of future developments upon and amongst all levels of government. Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-3-319-92855-5 SN - 978-3-319-92856-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92856-2_15 SP - 147 EP - 165 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bogumil, Jörg T1 - Neo-Weberianischer Staat JF - Handbuch zur Verwaltungsreform Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-658-21562-0 SP - 139 EP - 151 PB - Springer CY - Wiesbaden ET - 5., vollständig überarb. Aufl. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Dezentralisierung, Kommunalisierung, Regionalisierung JF - Handbuch zur Verwaltungsreform Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-658-21562-0 SP - 239 EP - 250 PB - Springer CY - Wiesbaden ET - 5., vollständig überarb. Aufl. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Verwaltungstraditionen und Verwaltungssysteme im Vergleich JF - Handbuch zur Verwaltungsreform Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-658-21562-0 SP - 39 EP - 49 PB - Springer CY - Wiesbaden ET - 5., vollständig überarb. Aufl. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bergström, Tomas A1 - Franzke, Jochen A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Wayenberg, Ellen T1 - Future Outlook and Scenarios JF - The Future of Local Self-Government : European Trends in Autonomy, Innovations and Central-Local Relations N2 - Where is local self-government heading in the future? Among trends identified is firstly an intensification of multilevel, intermunicipal, and cross-border governance. In the future even more of cooperation and coordination among different political and administrative levels will be required. Territorial boundaries have become increasingly incongruent with functional public activities. Secondly, the innovative potential of introducing markets as templates for organisational reform has reached its end. Future reforms will most likely try to adapt market reforms to local public contexts, or even reverse the development. Finally, a tightening of state steering and an increased dependence on state funding to uphold local services is expected. Waves of amalgamations might slow down this process but they will not make financial problems disappear completely. KW - Local self-government KW - Governance KW - Organisational reform KW - Dependence KW - Amalgamations KW - Financial problems Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-56058-4 SN - 978-3-030-56059-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56059-1_20 SP - 227 EP - 286 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Wayenberg, Ellen A1 - Bergström, Tomas A1 - Franzke, Jochen T1 - The Essence and Transformation of Local Self-Government in Western Europe JF - The Future of Local Self-Government : European Trends in Autonomy, Innovations and Central-Local Relations N2 - All over Europe, cities and municipalities face new and numerous challenges to uphold their unique self-governing role in society. This intriguing reality underscores this volume’s ambition of brightening the future of local self-government. After further elaborating on this relevant background and the approach taken, the first chapter introduces three main dimensions of analysis. They are key to the volume’s subsequent parts on the essence of local government’s autonomy, its transformations in the light of digitalisation, marketisation and amalgamation and, finally, its changing intergovernmental relations concerning supervision and subnational policy-making. This volume covers eight countries, spread over Europe. And so, this introductory chapter ends with highlighting main features of the different local government systems involved. KW - Local self-government KW - Autonomy KW - Transformation KW - Intergovernmental relations Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-56059-1 SN - 978-3-030-56058-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56059-1_1 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bogumil, Jörg T1 - The Digitalisation of Local Public Services BT - Evidence from the German Case JF - The Future of Local Self-Government : European Trends in Autonomy, Innovations and Central-Local Relations N2 - The digital transformation of the local public sector is an important step towards making local service delivery more citizen-centred and user-oriented. The state of digitalisation in public administration in Germany is, however, well behind the far-reaching hopes associated with this modernisation theme. This chapter will explore the question as to what extent digital tools have been introduced in German local governments, more specifically in local one-stop shops (Bürgerämter), which hurdles local actors face when coping with the digital transformation, and which tools impact on citizens and local employees as well as have unintended effects and dysfunctionalities so far. A comprehensive and standardised survey amongst mayors and heads of staff councils in German municipalities as well as citizens and employees’ surveys and case studies will form the empirical basis of this chapter. KW - Digitalisation KW - One-stop shop KW - Public administration KW - E-services KW - E-government Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-56058-4 SN - 978-3-030-56059-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56059-1_8 SP - 101 EP - 113 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ebinger, Falk A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Bogumil, Jörg T1 - Territorial reforms in Europe BT - effects on administrative performance and democratic participation JF - Local government studies N2 - Territorial reform is the most radical and contested reorganisation of local government. A sound evaluation of the outcome of such reforms is hence an important step to ensure the legitimation of any decision on the subject. However, in our view the discourse on the subject appears to be one sided, focusing primarily on overall fiscal effects scrutinised by economists. The contribution of this paper is hence threefold: Firstly, we provide an overview off territorial reforms in Europe, with a special focus on Eastern Germany as a promising case for cross-country comparisons. Secondly, we provide an overview of the analytical classifications of these reforms and context factors to be considered in their evaluation. And thirdly, we analyse the literature on qualitative performance effects of these reforms. The results show that territorial reforms have a significant positive impact on functional performance, while the effects on participation and integration are indeed ambivalent. In doing so, we provide substantial arguments for a broader, more inclusive discussion on the success of territorial reforms. KW - Municipal amalgamation effects KW - territorial reform KW - municipal mergers KW - local government performance KW - administrative reforms Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2018.1530660 SN - 0300-3930 SN - 1743-9388 VL - 45 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Seyfried, Markus A1 - Siegel, John Philipp T1 - Was bewirken Gebietsreformen? BT - Eine Bilanz deutscher und europäischer Erfahrungen JF - Der moderne Staat : dms ; Zeitschrift für Public Policy, Recht und Management N2 - Der vorliegende Beitrag fasst die bisherige Forschung über die Wirkungen von Gebietsreformen zusammen und analysiert diese aus inhaltlicher und methodischer Perspektive. Basierend auf einer Auswertung von ausgewählten nationalen und europäischen Studien werden Wirkungsbefunde in drei zentralen Dimensionen dargestellt: (1) Leistungsfähigkeit, Verwaltungs- und Veranstaltungskraft, (2) Einsparungen, Skalenerträge und Wirtschaftlichkeit und (3) Partizipation und demokratische Kontrolle. Im Ergebnis kann festgestellt werden, dass die Leistungs- und Handlungsfähigkeit kommunaler Verwaltungen durch Gebietsreformen überwiegend positiv beeinflusst wird. Dagegen sind die empirischen Befunde bezüglich Wirtschaftlichkeit, Einsparungen und Skalenerträge sowie zur Partizipation und demokratischen Kontrolle nicht eindeutig. Y1 - 2018 SN - 1865-7192 SN - 2196-1395 VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - 119 EP - 141 PB - Budrich CY - Leverkusen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Hellström, Mikael A1 - Ramberg, Ulf A1 - Reiter, Renate T1 - Tracing divergence in crisis governance BT - responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, Germany and Sweden compared JF - International review of administrative sciences N2 - This cross-country comparison of administrative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, Germany and Sweden is aimed at exploring how institutional contexts and administrative cultures have shaped strategies of problem-solving and governance modes during the pandemic, and to what extent the crisis has been used for opportunity management. The article shows that in France, the central government reacted determinedly and hierarchically, with tough containment measures. By contrast, the response in Germany was characterized by an initial bottom-up approach that gave way to remarkable federal unity in the further course of the crisis, followed again by a return to regional variance and local discretion. In Sweden, there was a continuation of ‘normal governance’ and a strategy of relying on voluntary compliance largely based on recommendations and less – as in Germany and France – on a strategy of imposing legally binding regulations. The comparative analysis also reveals that relevant stakeholders in all three countries have used the crisis as an opportunity for changes in the institutional settings and administrative procedures. KW - administrative culture KW - containment KW - crisis KW - governance KW - multi-level system KW - policy advice KW - public health KW - window of opportunity Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852320979359 SN - 0020-8523 SN - 1461-7226 VL - 87 IS - 3 SP - 556 EP - 575 PB - Sage CY - Los Angeles, California ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Hellstrom, Mikael A1 - Ramberg, Ulf A1 - Reiter, Renate T1 - Tracing divergence in crisis governance BT - responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, Germany and Sweden compared JF - International review of administrative sciences : an international journal of comparative public administration N2 - This cross-country comparison of administrative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, Germany and Sweden is aimed at exploring how institutional contexts and administrative cultures have shaped strategies of problem-solving and governance modes during the pandemic, and to what extent the crisis has been used for opportunity management. The article shows that in France, the central government reacted determinedly and hierarchically, with tough containment measures. By contrast, the response in Germany was characterized by an initial bottom-up approach that gave way to remarkable federal unity in the further course of the crisis, followed again by a return to regional variance and local discretion. In Sweden, there was a continuation of 'normal governance' and a strategy of relying on voluntary compliance largely based on recommendations and less - as in Germany and France - on a strategy of imposing legally binding regulations. The comparative analysis also reveals that relevant stakeholders in all three countries have used the crisis as an opportunity for changes in the institutional settings and administrative procedures. Points for practitioners COVID-19 has shown that national political and administrative standard operating procedures in preparation for crises are, at best, partially helpful. Notwithstanding the fact that dealing with the unpredictable is a necessary part of crisis management, a need to further improve the institutional preparedness for pandemic crises in all three countries examined here has also become clear. This should be done particularly by way of shifting resources to the health and care sectors, strengthening the decentralized management of health emergencies, stocking and/or self-producing protection material, assessing the effects of crisis measures, and opening the scientific discourse to broader arenas of experts. KW - administrative culture KW - containment KW - crisis KW - governance KW - multi-level system KW - policy advice KW - public health KW - window of opportunity Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852320979359 SN - 0020-8523 SN - 1461-7226 VL - 87 IS - 3 SP - 556 EP - 575 PB - Sage Publ. CY - London ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Heuberger, Moritz A1 - Marienfeldt, Justine T1 - Bürgernahe Verwaltung digital? I-Kfz und digitaler Kombiantrag BT - Elternleistung im Praxistest T3 - FES Diskurs Y1 - 2022 UR - https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/a-p-b/19351.pdf SN - 978-3-98628-187-8 PB - Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung CY - Bonn ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Holtkamp, Lars A1 - Kißler, Leo A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Reichard, Christoph A1 - Schneider, Karsten A1 - Wollmann, Hellmut T1 - Konsequenzen aus der Evaluation des neune Steuerungsmodells Y1 - 2007 SN - 978-3-8360-7230-0 ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Holtkamp, Lars A1 - Kißler, Leo A1 - Reichard, Christoph A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Schneider, Karsten A1 - Wollmann, Hellmut ED - Bogumil, Jörg T1 - Perspektiven kommunaler Verwaltungsmodernisierung : Praxiskonsequenzen aus dem neuen Steuerungsmodell T3 - Modernisierung des öffentlichen Sektors Y1 - 2007 SN - 978-3-8360-7230-4 SN - 0945-1072 VL - 30 PB - Ed. Sigma CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Proeller, Isabella A1 - Schiemanke, Dieter A1 - Ziekow, Jan T1 - German Public Administration BT - Background and Key Issues JF - Public Administration in Germany N2 - The international community of public administration and administrative sciences shows a great interest in the basic features of the German administrative system. The German public administration with its formative decentralisation (called: administrative federalism) is regarded as a prime example of multilevel governance and strong local self-government. Furthermore, over the past decades, the traditional profile of the German administrative system has significantly been reshaped and remoulded through reforms, processes of modernisation and the transformation process in East Germany. Studies on the German administrative system should focus especially on key institutional features of public administration; changing relationships between public administration, society and the private sector; administrative reforms at different levels of the federal system; and new challenges and modernisation approaches, such as digitalisation, open government and better regulation. Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-53696-1 SN - 978-3-030-53697-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53697-8_1 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Palgrave Macmillan CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Seyfried, Markus ED - Vigoda-Gadot, Eran ED - Vashdi, Dana R. T1 - Comparative methods B BT - comparative methods in public administration – the value of looking around T2 - Handbook of research methods in public administration, management and policy N2 - This chapter outlines the relevance and value of comparative approaches and methods in studying Public Administration (PA). It discusses the roots and current developments of comparative research in PA and discusses various methodological venues for cross-country comparisons, such as most similar/dissimilar systems designs, the method of concomitant variation and the difference-in-difference method. Besides the description of these approaches, we highlight their conceptual value for theory-driven empirical comparative research. Drawing on selected pieces of comparative research, the chapter furthermore provides examples for the application of comparative methods in practice presenting empirical findings and highlighting strengths and weaknesses. The chapter finally emphasizes that the methodological development in comparative PA research has by far not yet reached its end, and that some future challenges need to be addressed, such as the issues of causality, generalizability, and mixed-methods approaches. Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-1-78990-347-8 SN - 978-1-78990-348-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789903485.00017 SP - 181 EP - 196 PB - Edward Elgar Publishing CY - Cheltenham, UK ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bergström, Tomas A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Laffin, Martin A1 - Wayenberg, Ellen T1 - Special issue on comparative intergovernmental relations and the pandemic BT - how European devolved governments responded to a public health crisis JF - Local government studies N2 - This introduction and the special issue are a contribution to comparative intergovernmental studies and public administration. This introduction provides an analytical overview of the intergovernmental relations policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic across ten European countries, focussing on the early waves of the disease. These policy responses are analysed in terms of three types of IGR process: (1) a predominantly multi-layered policy process involving limited conflict, (2) a centralised policy process as the central government attempts to suppress conflict and (3) a conflicted policy process where such attempts are contested and tend to contribute to poor policy outcomes. The conclusion, then, reviews the difficulties and trade-offs involved in attaining a balanced multi-layered, intergovernmental process. KW - intergovernmental relations KW - pandemic comparative KW - government comparative KW - public policy Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2022.2039636 SN - 0300-3930 SN - 1743-9388 VL - 48 IS - 2 SP - 179 EP - 190 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jann, Werner A1 - Bogumil, Jörg A1 - Bouckaert, Geert A1 - Budäus, Dietrich A1 - Holtkamp, Lars A1 - Kißler, Leo A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Mezger, Erika A1 - Reichard, Christoph A1 - Wollmann, Hellmut T1 - Status-Report Verwaltungsreform : eine Zwischenbilanz nach zehn Jahren JF - Modernisierung des öffentlichen Sektors Y1 - 2004 SN - 3-89404-744-5 VL - 24 PB - Ed. Sigma CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Bessere Verwaltung durch Dezentralisierung? Eine ländervergleichende Analyse institutioneller Reformeffekte T2 - Leidenschaft und Augenmaß : sozialwissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf Entwicklung, Verwaltung, Umwelt und Klima : Festschrift für Harald Fuhr Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-8487-5249-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845294292-39 SP - 39 EP - 57 PB - Nomos CY - Bade-Baden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Franzke, Jochen A1 - Peters, Niklas A1 - Dumas, Benoît Paul T1 - Institutional designs and dynamics of crisis governance at the local level BT - European governments facing the polycrisis JF - Policy design and practice N2 - This article analyses the institutional design variants of local crisis governance responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their entanglement with other locally impactful crises from a cross-country comparative perspective (France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the UK/England). The pandemic offers an excellent empirical lens for scrutinizing the phenomenon of polycrises governance because it occurred while European countries were struggling with the impacts of several prior, ongoing, or newly arrived crises. Our major focus is on institutional design variants of crisis governance (dependent variable) and the influence of different administrative cultures on it (independent variable). Furthermore, we analyze the entanglement and interaction of institutional responses to other (previous or parallel) crises (polycrisis dynamics). Our findings reveal a huge variance of institutional designs, largely evoked by country-specific administrative cultures and profiles. The degree of de-/centralization and the intensity of coordination or decoupling across levels of government differs significantly by country. Simultaneously, all countries were affected by interrelated and entangled crises, resulting in various patterns of polycrisis dynamics. While policy failures and “fatal remedies” from previous crises have partially impaired the resilience and crisis preparedness of local governments, we have also found some learning effects from previous crises. KW - polycrisis KW - pandemic KW - local government KW - intergovernmental relations KW - public administration KW - crisis management KW - Germany KW - France KW - Poland KW - Sweden KW - United Kingdom Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2024.2344784 SN - 2574-1292 SP - 1 EP - 21 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Marienfeldt, Justine A1 - Kühler, Jakob A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Proeller, Isabella T1 - Kommunale Verwaltungsdigitalisierung im föderalen Kontext T1 - Local government digitalization in a federal context BT - ein europäischer Ländervergleich BT - a European country comparison JF - der moderne staat – Zeitschrift für Public Policy, Recht und Management N2 - Dieser Beitrag vergleicht die kommunale Verwaltungsdigitalisierung in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (DACH-Länder) als Vertreter der kontinentaleuropäisch-föderalen Verwaltungstradition bei zugleich unterschiedlichen Digitalisierungsansätzen und -fortschritten. Basierend auf Interviews mit 22 Expert*innen und Beobachtungen in je einer Kommune pro Land sowie Dokumenten-, Literatur- und Sekundärdatenanalysen untersucht die Studie, wie Verwaltungsdigitalisierung im Mehrebenensystem organisiert ist und welche Rolle dabei das Verwaltungsprofil spielt sowie welche Innovationsschwerpunkte die Kommunen im Hinblick auf die Leistungserbringung und die internen Prozesse setzen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der hohe Grad lokaler Autonomie den Kommunen ermöglicht, eigene Akzente in der Verwaltungsdigitalisierung zu setzen. Zugleich wirken die stark verflochtenen komplexen Entscheidungsstrukturen und hohen Koordinationsbedarfe in verwaltungsföderalen Systemen, die in Deutschland am stärksten, in Österreich etwas schwächer und in der Schweiz am geringsten ausgeprägt sind, als Digitalisierungshemmnisse. Ferner weisen die Befunde auf eine unitarisierende Wirkung der Verwaltungsdigitalisierung als Reformbereich hin. Insgesamt trägt die Studie zu einem besseren Verständnis dafür bei, welche Problematik die Verwaltungsdigitalisierung für föderal-dezentrale Verwaltungsmodelle mit sich bringt. N2 - This article compares the digitalization of local government in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH countries) as representatives of the continental European federal administrative tradition, but with different approaches to and progress in digitalization. Based on interviews with 22 experts and observations in one municipality per country as well as document, literature and secondary data analyses, the study examines how administrative digitalization is organized in the multi-level system and what role the administrative profile plays in this, as well as what innovation priorities the municipalities set with regard to service provision and internal processes. The results show that the high degree of local autonomy enables the municipalities to set their own innovation priorities. Simultaneously, the highly intertwined complex decision-making structures and need for coordination in federal administrative systems, which are most pronounced in Germany, somewhat weaker in Austria and least pronounced in Switzerland, act as barriers to digitalization. Furthermore, the findings point to a unitarizing effect of administrative digitalization as an area of reform. Overall, the study contributes to a better understanding of the problems that administrative digitalization poses for federal-decentralized administrative systems. KW - digitalization KW - administrative reform KW - local government KW - DACH countries KW - comparative case study KW - Digitalisierung KW - Verwaltungsreform KW - Kommunen KW - DACH-Länder KW - Vergleich Y1 - 2024 UR - https://www.wiso-net.de/document/DMS__98bb1422067fd8d5bd11f47f8f2651fab936d2ce U6 - https://doi.org/10.3224/dms.v17i1.03 SN - 1865-7192 SN - 2196-1395 VL - 17 IS - 1 SP - 35 EP - 59 PB - Verlag Barbara Budrich CY - Leverkusen-Opladen ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Franzke, Jochen A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - German local authorities coping with the Covid-19 pandemic BT - capacities and autonomy under stress T2 - L’ administration locale face à la crise sanitaire Y1 - 2021 SN - 9782281134964 SN - 9782281134957 SP - 257 EP - 272 PB - Éditions Le Moniteur CY - Antony ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Dumas, Benoît Paul A1 - Heuberger, Moritz T1 - The capacity of local governments in Europe BT - autonomy,responsibilities and reforms N2 - This book compares local self-government in Europe. It examines local institutional structures, autonomy, and capacities in six selected countries - France, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, and the United Kingdom - each of which represents a typical model of European local government. Within Europe, an overall trend towards more local government capacities and autonomy can be identified, but there are also some counter tendencies to this trend and major differences regarding local politico-administrative settings, functional responsibilities, and resources. The book demonstrates that a certain degree of local financial autonomy and fiscal discretion is necessary for effective service provision. Furthermore, a robust local organization, viable territorial structures, a professional public service, strong local leadership, and well-functioning tools of democratic participation are key aspects for local governments to effectively fulfill their tasks and ensure political accountability. The book will appeal to students and scholars of Public Administration and Public Management, as well as practitioners and policy-makers at different levels of government, in public enterprises, and in NGOs. KW - local government KW - public sector reform KW - Europe KW - local autonomy KW - self-governance KW - new public management Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-3-031-07961-0 SN - 978-3-031-07962-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07962-7 SP - 7 EP - 55 PB - Palgrave Macmillan CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine A1 - Oehlert, Franziska A1 - Reusch, Marie Catherine ED - Gesemann, Frank ED - Filsinger, Dieter ED - Münch, Sybille T1 - Verwaltungsverflechtungen in der Flüchtlingsintegration BT - ein Vergleich zwischen Deutschland, Schweden und Frankreich T2 - Handbuch lokale Integrationspolitik N2 - Am Beispiel von Flüchtlingsintegration werden institutionelle Entwicklungen im Mehrebenensystem aus einer länderübergreifenden Perspektive analysiert. Insgesamt hat der Grad der Verwaltungsverflechtung und vertikalen Koordination in diesem Bereich zugenommen und die Rolle der Kommunen wurde – ungeachtet unterschiedlicher Ausprägungen der (De-)Zentralisierung – gestärkt. Während die starke fluchtbedingte Zuwanderung als äußerer Faktor dieser Entwicklung Vorschub geleistet hat, nehmen historische Pfadabhängigkeiten und die jeweiligen Verwaltungskulturen nach wie vor erheblichen Einfluss auf die genannten Entwicklungen. KW - Verwaltungsverflechtung KW - Koordination KW - Integration KW - Neo-Institutionalismus KW - Mehrebenensystem Y1 - 2024 SN - 978-3-658-43195-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-43195-2_55-1 N1 - Teil eines "Living reference work entry" SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Springer CY - Wiesbaden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Marienfeldt, Justine A1 - Wehmeier, Liz Marla A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine T1 - Top-down or bottom-up digital transformation? BT - a comparison of institutional changes and outcomes JF - Public money & management N2 - This article analyses incremental institutional change and subsequent organizational and performance outcomes of the digital transformation from a comparative perspective. Through 31 expert interviews, the authors compare two digitalized public services in Germany. Two digitalization approaches are identified. The voluntary, decentralized bottom-up approach involves layering of new rules, limited organizational restructuring, and performance deficits. Conversely, the compulsory, top-down approach with centralized control facilitates displacement of existing rules and far-reaching organizational change; in this study, it is also associated with improved performance. KW - bottom-up KW - digital transformation KW - electronic tax returns KW - Germany KW - institutional change KW - performance KW - vehicle registration KW - top-down Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2024.2365351 SN - 0954-0962 SN - 1467-9302 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - Abingdon ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Oehlert, Franziska A1 - Kuhlmann, Sabine ED - Kuhlmann, Sabine ED - Laffin, Martin ED - Wayenberg, Ellen ED - Bergström, Tomas T1 - Inter-administrative relations in migrant integration BT - France, Germany, and Sweden compared T2 - New perspectives on intergovernmental relations N2 - Migrant integration is a prime example of intergovernmental coordination and multilevel governance; first because no level of government can carry out this task alone, and second because its cross-cutting nature often leads to fragmented institutional structures that must be overcome. Within the research strand of intergovernmental relations (IGR), the focus has been on executive actors and governmental decision-makers, resulting in an underexposure of the role of public administration, known as inter-administrative relations (IAR). Against this backdrop, we aim to remedy some of the deficits in IGR research by (1) adopting an explicit IAR perspective which systematically addresses the role of local governments; (2) including a comparative dimension in IAR research that accounts for different administrative ‘starting conditions’ in European countries; and (3) using the policy area of migrant integration as a case in point to empirically investigate developments of institutional convergence and divergence in IAR patterns. It is argued that the coordination of migrant integration in the three countries examined has moved towards more intergovernmental coordination, on the one hand, and that the role of municipalities in this context has been enhanced—varying degrees of (de-)centralization notwithstanding. While certain convergent patterns of inter-governmental coordination have become apparent during the migration crisis, historical path dependencies and administrative cultures still appear to be factors that influence institutional development. KW - inter-administrative relations KW - coordination KW - migrant integration KW - neo-institutionalism Y1 - 2024 SN - 978-3-031-61789-8 SN - 978-3-031-61790-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61790-4_5 SP - 77 EP - 101 PB - Palgrave Macmillan CY - Cham ER -