Organizing for Coordination in the Public Sector ― Practices and Lessons from 12 European Countries

New coordination practices have emerged across European public sectors in order to cope with complex societal challenges. Governments struggle to handle challenging policy problems that escape simple solutions and transcend the borders of organizations, administrative levels and ministerial areas. Public sector coordination has become one of the key aspects of governments' policy capacity. This important collection is comprised of 20 European case studies; it offers valuable insights into public sector coordination and points to important lessons for devising and implementing new coordination instruments. It is essential reading for public sector practitioners as well as students and scholars of public administration and policy.

Prof. Per Lagreid Professor in the Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen and adjunct senior researcher at the Uni Rokkan Centre, Norway. His research interests include studies of public administration from a broad institutional perspective combining political science and organizational studies. His empirical focus is on institutional changes of central government organizations, democratic governance, public sector reforms, and administrative policy in a domestic and comparative perspective.

Dr. Kulli Sarapuu is a research fellow at Tallinn University of Technology, Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance, Estonia. Her research interests include administrative structure, public sector coordination, public service systems, and public administration in small states. Before joining the university she worked for the Estonian Government Office.

Dr. Lise H. Rykkja is a post doctor in the Department of Administration and Organization Theory at the University of Bergen and Senior Researcher at the Uni Rokkan Centre, Norway. Her research concentrates on public sector reforms, the organization and development of public administration and public policies based in a broad institutional perspective, and with a special interest in the organization of internal security and crisis and disaster management.

Prof. Tiina Randma-Liiv is Professor of Public Management and Policy at Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia where she currently also serves as vice dean of the faculty of social sciences and member of the University Council. Her research interests include civil service reforms, performance management, public sector coordination, small state administration, policy transfer and Central and Eastern Europe. She is also a member of the steering committee of the European Group of Public Administration (EGPA).