The European Public Servant: A Shared Administrative Identity?

As the economic, political, and cultural integration of Europe advances, the organization of European administration becomes more complex, and the need for a shared administrative identity becomes more apparent. From the perspectives of political theory and the history of ideas, our Workshop attempts to examine the similarities and dissimilarities of historical and contemporary ideas on the public servant as a relevant political actor in Europe. By analyzing the continuities and discontinuities as well as the intellectual roots of different understandings of the public servant the workshop aims to contribute to finding an ideational foundation for a European administrative identity. We especially welcome paper proposals on the following topics: (1) The ideas and ideals concerning the public servant in Europe. (2) What is typically European in European administrative thought? (3) Empirical analyses of the European public servant’s identity, both past and present. (4) The history of administrative thought rather than the history of administrative practice. (5) Research that aims at better understanding contemporary issues by means of analyzing continuities and discontinuities, similarities and differences of various understandings of the public servant in the history of European thought.