The singularity of Central Europe? / Jacek Purchla -- From Stalinism to liberal democracy : a recent history of administration in the V4 countries / Rafał Matyja -- How ideas and institutions mutually affect each other / Jerzy Hausner and Michał Możdżeń -- The competition of ideas and ideational disruption / Stanisław Mazur -- The background, direction, ideas, triggers, and durability of public sector reforms : a conceptual analysis of the EU28 and the Visegrád 4 / Frits van der Meer and Gerrit Dijkstra -- Politicians and bureaucrats in Central and Eastern Europe : governance with increased politicisation / B. Guy Peters -- Modes of governance in the Visegrád countries / Piotr Kopyciński -- Between compliance and systemic change : evaluation practice in eight CEE countries / Tomasz Kupiec, Dominika Wojtowicz, and Karol Olejniczak -- Relations with interest groups and corruption in the V4 countries / Emília Sičáková-Beblavá and Miroslav Beblavý -- Populism in the Visegrád Group countries / Jolanta Itrich-Drabarek and Przemysław Kisiel -- Public administration structures / Arnošt Veselý -- Public financial management / Dawid Sześciło -- Local government in the V4 countries : Heyday, stability or retreat? / Jarosław Bober and Andrzej Kozina -- Interrupted progress : towards an understanding of causes of institutional disruption / Krzysztof Głuc and Michał Żabiński -- Institutional change and increasing ambivalence of reform effects and reform outcomes / Christoph Demmke -- A review of administrative reforms in the V4 countries / Stanisław Mazur and Piotr Kopyciński.

"This book examines the extent to which recent transformations of administrative systems and public management mechanisms in Central European (CE) countries serve the purpose of providing effective and efficient public institutions, high quality of public services, respect for the rule of law, and the citizens' trust in the state. It details the reasons behind the major differences in the modernisation paths followed and their attendant inconsistencies and how, despite the adoption of values and solutions prevailing in the EU upon accession, these countries are shifting, to varying degrees, towards institutional design reminiscent of illiberal democracies. Taking a comparative approach and based on rich original data, it applies theoretical models to explain the nature and implications of the processes under consideration and identifies the determinants that impact upon the transformation of public administration systems and its consequences. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of public governance, public administration and policy, East European studies, and more broadly politics, law, sociology but also economy"--