Post-Comunist Development of Administrative Structure in Estonia: From Fragmentation to Segmentation

Abstract

The article focuses on the issue of administrative structure and its development in a postcommunist context. The case of the Estonian administrative system is analyzed. The article aims to find out how and why a decentralized administrative structure has formed in Estonia. To fulfill this aim, the current organizational landscape of the Estonian public administration is described and its trajectories of development over the 20-year period are discussed. The analytical framework of the article draws on organization theory and literature on post-communist transition. It is found that during the 20 years of regained independence, factors have combined in favor of specialization over coordination in Estonia. First, the aim of overthrowing the legacy of centralized soviet public administration in combination with pressures of transition and the sectoral character of the EU accession process have contributed to the development of a public administration with strong ministries having a considerable leverage over the issues falling to their areas of governance. Second, the neo-liberal worldview of Estonia’s politico-administrative elite and its inclination towards a lean state and down-sizing have led to reluctance towards investing into coordinating functions and administrative development more generally.