The effects of EU CARDS/IPA on administrative capacity in Croatia

The main purpose of this study was to establish whether and how EU pre-accession assistance in the form of Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) and Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) acts as an instigator of institutional change (Europeanisation) via its influence on administrative capacity. The three major objectives were: to contribute to the growing literature on institution-building (Europeanisation) in the Western Balkans; to define and operationalise the term 'administrative capacity' in the context of Enlargement and pre-accession; and to conduct in-depth case study research on how CARDS and IPA affect administrative capacity in Croatia and how they interact with other factors influencing administrative capacity. The method of achieving this is to disaggregate information on administrative capacity into the component elements of institutional structures, financial and human resources, and administrative systems and procedures. The dissertation argues that EU pre-accession assistance exerts a positive role on learning processes but its effects on administrative capacity tend to be temporary or particular to 'islands of excellence' in the public sector and rarely become commonplace. With regard to structures, especially relating to management and partnership, mainly positive effects of assistance were identified, whereas there was only a slightly positive influence on human and financial resources. However, the number of positive effects of interventions on systems and tools was balanced by instances where no effects had been produced. Constraints identified comprised the late start of the programmes, the legacy of socialism, as well as war and the ensuing international isolation. Other obstacles included the lack of political will for reform, lack of coordination, non-existent human resources strategies, non-transparent procedures and poor implementation results. Further setbacks were the tokenistic level of funding, and the weak coordination of EU interventions with the enlargement strategy and the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP). There is also a risk of regression in the capacities of the public sector after EU accession.The main purpose of this study was to establish whether and how EU pre-accession assistance in the form of Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) and Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) acts as an instigator of institutional change (Europeanisation) via its influence on administrative capacity. The three major objectives were: to contribute to the growing literature on institution-building (Europeanisation) in the Western Balkans; to define and operationalise the term 'administrative capacity' in the context of Enlargement and pre-accession; and to conduct in-depth case study research on how CARDS and IPA affect administrative capacity in Croatia and how they interact with other factors influencing administrative capacity. The method of achieving this is to disaggregate information on administrative capacity into the component elements of institutional structures, financial and human resources, and administrative systems and procedures. The dissertation argues that EU pre-accession assistance exerts a positive role on learning processes but its effects on administrative capacity tend to be temporary or particular to 'islands of excellence' in the public sector and rarely become commonplace. With regard to structures, especially relating to management and partnership, mainly positive effects of assistance were identified, whereas there was only a slightly positive influence on human and financial resources. However, the number of positive effects of interventions on systems and tools was balanced by instances where no effects had been produced. Constraints identified comprised the late start of the programmes, the legacy of socialism, as well as war and the ensuing international isolation. Other obstacles included the lack of political will for reform, lack of coordination, non-existent human resources strategies, non-transparent procedures and poor implementation results. Further setbacks were the tokenistic level of funding, and the weak coordination of EU interventions with the enlargement strategy and the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP). There is also a risk of regression in the capacities of the public sector after EU accession