ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the understanding of administrative tradition as both ideas and beliefs concerning the nature of government in a specific national context together with institutions and structures of government that are constructed in the past and have come to be taken for granted. Administrative traditions relate to relationships within the administration itself as well as to the relationship to political institutions and society at large. A central question in the chapter is whether there is such a specific Nordic administrative tradition related to administrative reforms. It provides a brief outline of different administrative traditions in Europe, which might help to see the differences and similarities of a Nordic administrative model. The chapter describes the Nordic administrative model in greater detail, both regarding common features and variations across countries. It addresses the links between administrative traditions and reforms, both generally and by using findings from a survey sent to top civil servants in central governments across Europe.
