Main organisational governance issues in central government administrations

Abstract

As the “apex” bodies at the top of the administrative organisational system, central public administrations are of particular importance and have an impact on the whole system of public administration. The term 'central administration' encompasses several types of bodies, of which central government administrations are the ones we will focus on in this study. Central government administrations, by virtue of both their activities and their importance, not least, their role in determining the organisation of public administration, play a decisive role and have an impact not only on public administration but also on the management of the state, i.e. the governance of the country. These bodies have both general powers and special powers and influence on the organisation of the state administration in certain areas and branches of administration. Due to their prominent role, proper functioning is of key importance, which can be achieved through the tools of organisational governance and management. The purpose of this paper is thus to provide a summary overview of the functioning and organisational governance issues of central government administrations, but a brief overview of the taxonomy of the bodies under study and the theoretical issues related to governance is essential for their examination.