The book presents an innovative perspective on the classic theme of the relationships between democracy and bureaucracy. Taking into account the contemporary democratic wave, scholars from Europe, United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America discuss the mutual implications of bureaucratic neutrality and democratization.

They depart from the assumption that if the ultimate goal of democratization is to establish democratic systems of governance, then administrative structures will have to be reshaped to adjust to the requirements of the political order in the making. The broad theoretical and conceptual dimensions relevant to the discussion are confronted in Part I. The rest of the book offers a global empirical perspective with detailed discussions of the challenges posed by democratization to public bureaucracies in different contexts.

As the case studies from Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America make clear, while the democratic ideal is shared across the globe, the multiple tasks to be confronted everywhere are to a large extent affected by past experiences, making it clear that history has not come to an end.