Austria 2025 – Public Administration Reform Between the Quest for Efficiency and Resistance to Change. A Survey

Reform of public administration has for a long time ranked high on the political agenda. The need for such reform in many areas of government action is widely recognised. However, actually embracing substantial reform is often deferred and implementation at risk of inertia. Opportunities and limitations of efficiency-oriented public administration reforms are shaped by political, institutional and economic factors. Opposition to substantial changes is particularly strong where political and bureaucratic actors are directly affected. Budgetary crises may trigger reforms, but are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for their success. Promising strategies for overcoming stalemate and resistance have to take into account both the inherent uncertainty about reform effects and the self-interests of politicians and bureaucrats. Under certain conditions, a reform-friendly government can gain political support by bundling complementary reform items. Consensus-building institutions and checks-and-balances arrangements are highly relevant for mutual acceptance and credibility of reform policies.