The politics of government reorganizations: Evidence from 30 OECD countries, 1980–2014

Oct 19, 2026

Revisiting March and Olson (1983), this article empirically tests whether ministerial-level government reorganizations are better explained by political factors than by administrative and functional rhetoric. It argues that reorganizations are often treated as efficiency-enhancing functional adaptations, yet the political context remains under-studied. Using pooled time-series data from 30 OECD countries (1980–2014) from the Statesman's Yearbook, the study assesses links between political power changes and reorganization occurrence and intensity, including effects of parliamentary vs. presidential systems, administrative power transitions, and executive tenure cycles.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Introduction

Background: Trends in Government Reorganizations in OECD Countries

DOI: 10.1111/gove.12458 ORIGINAL ARTICLE The politics of government reorganizations: Evidence from 30 OECD countries, 1980–2014 Lanhee Ryu | M. Jae Moon | Jae-jin Yang Yonsei University Funding information National Research Foundation of Korea, Grant/Award Numbers: NRF- 2016S1A3A2923475, NRF- 2017S1A3A2067636 Abstract Revisiting the seminal study of March and Olson (1983), this article aimed to empirically test whether or not government reorganizations at the ministerial level can be better explained by political factors than administrative and functional rhetoric. Government reorganizations have often been understood as functional adaptations to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness, but little empirical research has been conducted on their political context. By analyzing pooled-time series data from 30 OECD countries from 1980–2014 taken from the Statesman's Yearbook, this article sought to examine whether changes in political power are associated with government reorganizations and whether their intensity is affected by the country's political system (parliamentarism or presidentialism), transitions of administrative power, and political cycles of the top executive's tenure. The results suggested that government reorganizations are more likely to occur in parliamentary systems, after transitions of political power, and at the beginning of the top executive's tenure. 1 | INTRODUCTION Government reorganizations are a common occurrence, but the direction and frequency of such reorganizations are inconsistent between different countries. Government reorganizations are often implemented after dramatic social and political changes, such as wars, as initially Governance. 2019;1–17. [wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gove](wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gove) © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 observed in the radical expansion of functions and structures of the U.S. federal government asa response to the Great Depression right after the World War I.1 The general trend of expanding government organizations was further accelerated by the emergence of the welfare state. However, with stagflation in the 1970s and a wave of new public management in the 1980s, many OECD countries attempted to downsize their public sectors by making cutbacks and merging existing organizations to enhance managerial efficiency (Peters, 1992; Pollitt & Bouckaert, 2004) . In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, many European countries again downsized government organizations to balance their budgets (Hammerschmid, Walle, Andrews, & Bezes, 2016; Posner, 2011; Spanou, 2008) . However, during the same period, government organizations related to the environment, gender-related issues, and science and technology have tended to expand (Gupta, Dasgupta, & Gupta, 2008; Vis, Kersberge, & Hylands, 2011) . Despite these general trends, it is interesting to note that there are significant variations in the intensity of government reorganizations, even among countries with similar levels of socioeconomic development. For example, Canada has made an average of 10.3 government reorganizations per year at a ministerial level over the last 35 years, while the United States made only 0 .17.2 From a functionalist perspective, government reorganizations are generally understood as adaptations to changing environments to enhance organizational efficiency by improving policy effectiveness and reducing costs (Askim, Christensen, Fimreite, & Laegried, 2010; Peters, 1992; Thomas, 1993). This perspective explains why government organizations grow or shrink to some degree, but it often fails to explain substantial differences in the intensity of government reorganizations between countries despite similar social demand for public services. This perspective also cannot explain why some countries carry out more intense government reorganizations at some times than at others. These shortcomings raise an important research question: whic

FAQs

What question does the article address about government reorganizations?

The study tests whether ministerial-level government reorganizations can be better explained by political factors than by administrative and functional explanations, and whether political-system conditions shape the intensity of reorganizations.

What data and time span are used for the empirical analysis?

The analysis uses pooled time-series data from 30 OECD countries covering 1980–2014, drawn from the Statesman's Yearbook.

Which political conditions are associated with a higher likelihood of reorganizations?

The results suggest reorganizations are more likely in parliamentary systems, after transitions of political power, and at the beginning of the top executive’s tenure.

Oct 19, 2026

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