Contenu du sommaire : Les réformes qui échouent.

Failure, User's Guide. Failure might be for an institution just a type of apprenticeship. However, to reflect on reforms sends one back to quite a few myths that can be explained by the refutations of reality. A real critical and thought out session about reforms is needed and, in this regard, a few precautions must be taken. Administrative reform suffers, in fact, of an over rationalization of the object to which is applied and of an under rationalization of the strategies that are used. To evolve, one must use in the most rigorous manner possible a System of evaluation ex-post and ex-ante.

Preventing Failure. The origin of reform failures can be of two types : either it is due to their inaptitude to give a satisfying solution for the problem at hand ; or due to their incapacity to overcome the inevitable oppositions to which they are confronted. If the two are interdependent, it implies none the less that one resorts to different means of prevention : on the one hand, adopting stricter conception methods and experimental proceedings ; on the other hand, a stricter political impetus and mobilization of the administrative circle. It is most certain that these different means will not suffice to guarantee success, for ail reforms are subject to an unpredictable margin of error.

Central and Eastern Europe : After a Decade of Administrative Reform, Still the Same Old Problems ? It is surprising to note how the debate on public administration reform in central and Eastern Europe seems to be about repeating the same story over and over again. In front of a mixed picture of success and failure, it is important to note the difference between the development of local government structures and the stagnation level of the central administrations. The European Commission stresses the importance to develop a stable, professional and accountable administration, and most central and east European States have adopted administrative reform strategies. Such reforms are taking place in an environment where there are more «failure factors» than «success factors», that prevent a successful implementation, and thereby seemed condemned to failure, but not if long term strategies were to be developed.

The Setback of African Reforms Study case of Sub-Saharan Francophone Countries. The setback of reforms in Africa is recalled quite often. The study of the causes of this failure reveals a clear systematic preference for economic development, instead of one for the rehabilitation of public administrations. Conceived by outsiders with the sole objective to reduce public expenses, administrative reforms failed due to errors made by national authorities and international technical assistance. The only way to an African renaissance might be through a new type of «governance», implying a new social pact.

Delocalizations. The evaluation of delocalizations can be done in two different manners : either by questioning the effectiveness of the reform or by examining the pertinence of the tools used for its implementation. It is the latter that will be analyzed. It helps highlight that the stakes foreign to the delocalized service, that the different delocalization actors do not meet to determine the interests that need protection, and that they act successively without any real interaction. These facts show that traditional administrative work methods are unsuited for complex public actions.

The Reform Experience of the Superior School of Public Administration in Italy. The Superior school of public administration (Scuola Superiore della pubblica amministrazione - Sspa) was founded in 1957 so as to centralize the training of civil servants. The history of the Sspa is all together the history of a reform constantly reiterated because it failed and failed because it was reiterated. The study of the delays in the application of the successive reforms and their setbacks, helped highlight the lack of preparation and follow up.

Next Steps Agencies and Problems of Accountability. The term ‘accountability' is a relatively modern interloper into the vocabulary of constitutional law, and its successful diffusion should almost certainly be regarded as significant. The word possesses no exact meaning and appears to embrace aspects of more traditional terminology of ‘responsibility' and ‘control'. Next Steps Agencies are a technique of managerial administration designed specifically to increase accountability. But the examples given clearly illustrate the insufficiency of the present arrangements for accountability. This reform failure has caused problems at a political level concerning ministerial responsibility. Select Committees thereby continue to challenge the government and demand powers to question and discipline the real authors of administration.

Failure is not a Fatality. This article tries to analyze the means to make a reform fail and by doing that make it succeed. The first cause of a setback is a negative attitude and when ideological positions freeze. It is recommended to adopt a positive modernization discourse, to avoid following the fashion of changing management methods. Other cases of failure are : a denial to delegate and to make strategic alliances, a mismanagement of time, an absence of concrete action plans, and a refusal to learn from the mistakes of the past. One must also have a vision of the future and establish a link between these strategic choices.

Successful Failure. An Alternative View on Organizational Coping. The article paper argues that a relevant theory has to explain why resources can be continuously mobilized despite permanent failure. The phenomenon of low-performance-high-persistence organizations can be explained by the failure of those in charge of the organization to enforce their prerogatives in running the organization. Due to the fact that non-profit institutions are relatively remote from both fiscal auditing and public attention, they provide a stable environment for successful failure. Ideologies help reconcile them with their interests in failure rather than with efficient performance.