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PSG 17- Sociology of the State: Reforms and Resilience & CoREX
Time:
Thursday, 28/Aug/2025:
4:30pm - 6:00pm
Session Chair: Prof. Thurid HUSTEDT, Hertie School Session Chair: Prof. Jean-Michel EYMERI-DOUZANS, Sciences Po Toulouse Session Chair: Prof. Marie GORANSSON, Université libre du Bruxelles
Presentations
THE PROFILE OF POLITICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE TRIANGLE IN THE ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT
Bianca Veronica RADU
Babes Bolyai University, Romania
Previous studies on Romania have highlighted a high level of politicization at the central level of public administration, as well as frequent changes of individuals occupying top positions within ministries. The reforms aimed at reducing politicization and professionalizing certain top-level positions have been eventually reversed. There are no studies in Romania that systematically assess the profile of top positions at the governmental level in order to draw reliable conclusions on the extent of politicization. In this context, the present study, which is part of the COST CoREX Project, analyzes the CVs of individuals occupying the positions of ministers, deputy ministers, general secretaries, deputy general secretaries, and Prime Minister’s advisors. A total of 181 such positions were identified at the level of the Romanian Government as of July 1, 2024. The goal is to systematically analyze the profile of these positions from the perspectives of their legal status, numbers, type of appointment, and terms of appointment. In addition to describing the formal settings of a typical ministerial structure, we will create the profile of the people occupying these positions, focusing on their demographic characteristics, educational background, career pathway, and political experience. The present study aims to highlight the main patterns in the profile of the political-administrative triangle at the ministerial level in Romania and to draw comparisons with countries belonging to the same administrative tradition.
Ministerial Cabinets and Bureaucratic Coordination in Romania: Mechanisms, Challenges, Policy Design and Impact
Constantin Marius PROFIROIU1, Alina Georgiana PROFIROIU1, Ionut Ciprian NEGOITA1, Vladimir Adrian COSTEA2
1Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania; 2Research Institute of the University of Bucharest
Ministerial cabinets in Romania serve as key intermediaries between political key leadership and the civil servants, shaping policy agendas and ensuring the alignment of governmental priorities with administrative execution. However, their role in bureaucratic coordination remains insufficiently analysed, often fluctuating between facilitating communication and creating administrative fragmentation due to political interference. Thus, this research aims to explore how ministerial cabinets influence the coordination between political stakeholders and the administrative apparatus in Romania, assessing their effectiveness (or not) in ensuring policy design, continuity, coherence and implementation. By analysing formal structures, informal networks, and practical coordination mechanisms, this study seeks to determine whether ministerial cabinets enhance or hinder bureaucratic efficiency.
