ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATION IN 6 EUROPEAN STATES - SECULAR CONVERGENCE OR NATIONAL DISTINCTIVENESS

To what extent has environmental administration in Europe been shaped by common secular forces or by distinctive national contexts? Middle r ange theories of the policy process suggest competing answers to this question, with some implying the likelihood of convergence in administ rative structures and others suggesting persistent national distinctiv eness. Using data on Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain an d the UK, we construct a measure of administrative concentration in ea ch country. From this measure we assess the extent of convergence over time among the six nations. We argue that national context is a more important influence than common secular trends, and we identify in eac h state the political dynamics behind the national pattern. The symbol ic role of administrative reorganization is thereby highlighted in the politics of environmental policy.