State and party: The Greek state bureaucracy and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), 1981-1989

This is a case study of the interaction between state and party as political organizations and between bureaucrats and politicians as state elites in contemporary new democracies. The study explores the relations between the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and the Greek central public administration in 1981-1989, while PASOK was in power.;PASOK rose to power in 1981 and managed to occupy the state bureaucracy, but its administrative policy contained many contradictory elements. During PASOK's rule there were several structural changes in the administration but also many continuities with the past. The quick occupation of the state by the party is explained by the populist nature and strength of PASOK and by the historical weakness of the Greek bureaucracy. The party occupied the state, but in the process the PASOK party itself was paralyzed by the PASOK government. The triangular nexus of state, party, and government is studied through an analysis of the administrative legislation of PASOK governments and of other state and party documents.;The domination of the bureaucracy by PASOK affected the attitudes of bureaucrats and politicians. The traditional divide between bureaucrats and politicians was supplemented by new cleavages between governing party members and non-members based on purely political issues and between top civil servants, party cadres, and ministers' advisors based on organizational issues in the interior of ministries. Social class origin also had an impact on the officials' perceptions of political and organizational issues. The social origins of state officials, their beliefs and mentality, and their perceptions of organizational role, conflict, patronage and power in the bureaucracy are studied through a sample survey of 152 top civil servants and political appointees of PASOK in several ministries. The implications of this thesis for research on the bureaucracies of the semi-periphery are then drawn out.