The content of the current volumes focuses on two important fields of research in administrative sciences: fundamental issues and developments of public administration and services, on one hand, and civil service, on the other hand.

      Within this broad topic, several chapters present relevant, conceptual and empirical issues of the fundamental processes in national and European administration, i.e. decentralisation, setting up and asserting the European Administrative Space or regional cooperation.

      Romanian experiments and practices for representing the local interests in the governmental decision-making process, partnership and local governance or universal services are in line with the European trends for developing the public services. In fact, Europeanization of national public administrations represents the outcome and the engine of changes in Romanian public management in the context of the European integration.

      The first volume concludes with a broad comparative study concerning Romanian and Japanese public management.