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Autonomy, Regulation, Agencies, Administrative doctrines,

The termination of state agencies has been a prominent aspect of administrative ‘rationalization’ programmes arising from the Global Financial Crisis. In this article, the frequency and type of agency terminations that have occurred in Ireland post‐2008 are examined in longitudinal perspective. Following a consideration of agency types, the logic of agency rationalization is explored with a focus on the different ways in which agencies are terminated. Drawing on a unique dataset of Irish state agencies over a 90‐year period, the article presents evidence concerning the degree to which terminations over the 2008–11 period differ, if at all, from those that have occurred previously. In concluding, the article proposes that rather than witnessing agency ‘culls’ and ‘bonfires’, there is ‘life after death’ for agencies and their work.

Shared services are a popular reform for governments under financial pressure. The hope is to reduce overheads and increase efficiency by providing support services like HR, finance and procurement once to multiple agencies. Drawing on insights from organization theory and political science, we identify five risks that shared services won't live up to current expectations. We illustrate each with empirical evidence from the UK, Ireland and further afield, and conclude with suggestions on how to manage these risks.

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Collaboration between public sector organizations is typically understood as a response to complexity. Agencies collaborate in order to address complex, crosscutting policy needs that cannot be met individually. However, when organizational size is a constraining factor in public service efficiency, collaboration can also reduce costs by capturing scale economies unavailable to organizations of sub-optimal size. Using organization theory, the article conceptualizes these two different triggers for public sector collaboration, and builds a framework for tracing their wider impact upon the formation, operation and outcome of inter-agency partnerships. The framework is illustrated, and its implications for future research explored.