Measuring Management Reform: the Case of the Kinnock Reforms in the European Commission

Following the resignation crisis of 1999, the European Commission embarked on an ambitious programme of management reform in 2000. In 2003 the reform Progress Review claimed that it had been substantially implemented. From the body of literature which has developed examining the theory and practice of public management reform under different conditions, this paper analyses these claims. Using models drawn from these sources, and an implementation matrix differentiating between types of reform action, the findings suggest a considerable gap exists between reform rhetoric and the reality of its application and impact thus far.