THE INFLUENCE OF HERBERT SIMONS ADMINISTRATIVE BEHAVIOR ON THE

STUDY OF ORGANISATIONS AND PUBLIC CHOICE THEORY

Abstract
In 1978, Herbert A. Simon was awarded the Nobel economics prize mainly on account of his book
Administrative Behavior, which the Nobel Committee said had marked its era. This article seeks to understand
the reasons for this success. Thus Simons work is set in the context of the historical development of the study of
organisations and the decisions they take. When Simon wrote this book, the study of organisations and
management was sharply divided between prescriptive models on the one side, and descriptive models on the
other side: organisations were created by drawing on traditional descriptive models (scientific management and
organisation theory), although in fact these models recommendations were not really applied. The original
contribution of Administrative Behaviour perhaps lay in the fact that Simon perceived the organisation not as a
machine for achieving concrete outputs (goods and services) but primarily as a machine for producing decisions.
This provided the conceptual foundations for important later developments such as the introduction of
information management systems.

DIVERSIFIED MANAGEMENT: A HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY BASED ON

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

FROM TECHNICIAN TO MANAGER: CHANGES IN THE SPORTS SECTOR AT

LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL
Abstract
Research on local and regional affairs shows that management-oriented approaches dominate current thinking.
Using several interviews, we seek to show that this also increasingly applies to the skills of sports sector
officials. Our article shows that tasks performed by officials working for local and regional services are
progressively becoming more formal and specialised. It then examines how managerial tasks are carried out by
these officials, some of whose job profiles have been thoroughly transformed.

THE QUALITY, EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF E-GOVERNMENT IN

THE NETWORK ERA: THE EXAMPLE OF QUEBEC
There are few studies on how a combination of ICTs and new forms of organisation can be used to improve the
performance of the State. This article, which looks at five e-government programmes and services in the
Province of Quebec, shows that the joint of use of ICTs and networked governance enables the State to improve
its day-to-day operations, the quality of its services and the effectiveness of its policies and programmes. Despite
the proliferation of networks and flat management structures, public organisations still have a number of
bureaucratic features, but these do not stop them from performing effectively.

WHEN THE BUDGET DIRECTORATE COMMISSIONED A PRIVATE

CONSULTANCY FIRM FOR ITS OWN RE-ORGANISATION, FROM 1950 TO 1952
Abstract
In 1951, the consultancy firm Planus was called in to work at the French Budget Directorate. This unprecedented
experiment, which was not repeated, highlights the spirit of innovation prevailing among public finance officials
at the time. It provides an insight into efforts to modernise public management at the Finance Ministry in the
1950s and sheds light upon one of the first instances of interest being expressed in the evaluation of the results of
administrative work at the Budget Directorate.

HOW TO REDUCE BUREAUCRATIC BURDENS: USING THE STANDARD COST

MODEL IN GERMANY
Abstract
Eliminating bureaucracy has been a major issue on Germanys political agenda since the end of the 1960s. After
decades of non-systematic and thus less successful measures, the recent Grand Coalition of Christian and Social
Democrats copied the successful Dutch approach to reducing administrative burdens in the private sector by
using the Standard Cost Model (SCM). This model makes it possible to reduce administrative burdens
systematically by measuring them in euros (if you can measure it, you can cut it). But how does this work?
How can the SCM approach help increase the competitiveness of German businesses? What are the different
SCM evaluation phases and how can ex-post and ex-ante methods be used? Is it also possible to audit
administrative burdens on citizens and public officials? The article describes how the SCM has been applied in
Germany and shows how this method can be adapted for use in an overall strategy for improving the regulatory
environment.

TRAINING LOCAL AND NATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS TOGETHER: THE MAJOR

CHALLENGE OF BRINGING ENA AND INET CLOSER TOGETHER
Abstract
This article examines the attempt to create a common training programme for senior central and local
government officials, which was announced by the Minister for the Civil Service in the autumn of 2003. The
launch of the Territoires module in 2006, for both students of ENA (the French National School of
Administration) and INET (the French National Institute for Territorial Studies), has offered an opportunity to
develop a legitimate model for the senior civil service. However, it would seem that the two schools courses
have just been juxtaposed rather than merged with one another. The strength of each establishments traditions
has made it impossible to forge a common programme and they still reflect different notions of the civil service,
catering to the needs of two different types of labour market.

UNDERTAKING REFORMS FOLLOWING CONTRADICTORY INSTRUCTIONS:

THE CASE OF THE BALLADUR COMMITTEE ON THE REFORM OF LOCAL
AUTHORITIES
Abstract
The Local Authorities Reform Committee, which was created in November 2008 and chaired by former Prime
Minister Edouard Balladur, submitted its report in March 2009. This article examines the reasons for having an
ad hoc committee do this work, emphasises the scale of obstacles hampering reformers and questions their
strategy for change. It highlights the pressures affecting the work of reformers, who are tempted to introduce
radical changes due to associated budget issues but face major constitutional and political obstacles. It sets out a
number of hypotheses regarding the varying parliamentary feasibility of the different solutions proposed by the
Committee.

GOOD ADMINISTRATION IN COMMUNITY LAW AND THE EUROPEAN CODE

OF GOOD ADMINISTRATIVE BEHAVIOUR
The Code of Good Administrative Behaviour is an important source for understanding the principle and concept
of good administration in European administrative law, since it encompasses certain aspects that tend to be
overlooked by the case law of the European Courts and European law scholars. Furthermore, contrary to what
recent developments would lead people to expect namely, the fact that the Commission is refusing to put
forward a proposal for a European regulation that would make the Codes provisions binding it is still a
relevant tool for mapping potential legal developments in good administration. This article explains the reasons
and meaning of the link between the Code and Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, analyses the
complex issues and areas of uncertainty surrounding the good administration concept, and highlights the
interconnections between its different legal and non-legal facets. In addition, it demonstrates how these different
aspects are reflected in the Code and shows how it relates to previous developments in community law. It
highlights its added legal value and the functions it currently performs, while also considering further
developments that may occur as a result.