ADMINISTRATIVE CULTURE AND CIVIL-SOCIETY - A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

This article explores the relationship between civil society and publi c administration It is argued that the disjunction between reform move ments in the two fields can be repaired by a focus on administrative c ulture. The role of administrative culture is explained through a comp arative case study of the political response to official corruption in volving organized crime in the United States and the Netherlands. In r ejecting the American solution to the problem the Dutch reflect an adm inistrative culture that differs sharply from the control-oriented cul ture in American government. The conclusion proposes the adoption of c ivic engagement benchmarks in American public administration.