TY - JOUR

T1 - Task Environment Matters for Intra-ministerial Change: The Interaction of International Environment, Organizational and Opportunity Factors

AU - Lichtmannegger, Christina

N1 - Funding information: Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs Federal Ministry of Justice Federal Ministry for Economic Coopertaion and Development Federal Ministry of the Interior Federal Ministry for Education and Research 1. The first group, in which EU divisions were created between 1952 and 1987, consists of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Forestry. As the front runner, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs created its division “Mining, energy and water sector, European Coal and Steel Community” (Bergbau, Energie-und Wasserwirtschaft, Europäische Gemeinschaft für Kohle und Stahl) in July 1952, followed by the Federal Foreign Office’s creation of its division “Trade policy, development policy, European Economic Co-operation” (Handelspolitik, Entwicklungspolitik und europäische wirtschaftliche Integration) in July 1970. Shortly afterward, the Federal Ministry of Finance created its division “Planning matters regarding the EC, federal states, municipalities, international financial matters” (Planungsangelgenheiten zu den EG, Ländern und Gemeinden, Internationale Finanzfragen) in January 1974. Finally, the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Forestry created its division “General agricultural policy of the EC, international agricultural policy, fisheries policies” (Allgemeine EG-Agrarpolitik, Internationale Agrarpolitik, Fischereipolitik) in May 1987.

PY - 2018/4/19

Y1 - 2018/4/19

N2 - Why, how, and when does intra-ministerial change take place? Previous answers to these questions suggest that political factors, such as cabinet reshuffling, are the most decisive drivers of inter-ministerial change. By contrast, this article begins with a distinction between the mechanism responsible for intra-ministerial and inter-ministerial change of ministries, the latter discusses which of these has been given more attention in previous research. Data covering the intra-ministerial change of 11 ministries in Germany between 1949 and 2006 can demonstrate that environmental as well as organizational factors are decisive in order to explain the timing and type of intra-ministerial change. The main finding is that a clearly definable threshold of tasks, organizational units, and a horizontal dispersion of jurisdictions–all of which react to the international environment–can explain intra-ministerial change in German ministries.

AB - Why, how, and when does intra-ministerial change take place? Previous answers to these questions suggest that political factors, such as cabinet reshuffling, are the most decisive drivers of inter-ministerial change. By contrast, this article begins with a distinction between the mechanism responsible for intra-ministerial and inter-ministerial change of ministries, the latter discusses which of these has been given more attention in previous research. Data covering the intra-ministerial change of 11 ministries in Germany between 1949 and 2006 can demonstrate that environmental as well as organizational factors are decisive in order to explain the timing and type of intra-ministerial change. The main finding is that a clearly definable threshold of tasks, organizational units, and a horizontal dispersion of jurisdictions–all of which react to the international environment–can explain intra-ministerial change in German ministries.

KW - Europeanization

KW - intra-ministerial change

KW - ministerial administration

KW - opportunity factors

KW - organizational change

KW - task environment

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045762809&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/01900692.2018.1458865

DO - 10.1080/01900692.2018.1458865

M3 - Article

VL - 42

SP - 320

EP - 333

JO - International Journal of Public Administration

JF - International Journal of Public Administration

SN - 0190-0692

IS - 4

ER -