ReConnect: Reconnecting citizens to the administrative state?

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The administrative state is central to democratic governance - it connects citizens to the state.The current age of political turbulence - expressed through citizen dissatisfaction and populistpolitics - represents a fundamental challenge to the authority of institutions of theadministrative state and requires inquiry into processes of citizen dis- and reconnection withthe state.The RECONNECT study investigates how the age of ‘administrative turbulence’, a result ofchanges in the political environment, cumulative side-effects of decades of public sector reformand changing citizen demands, have led to calls for more ‘responsive’ administrative stateinstitutions. In particular, RECONNECT investigates variation in attitudes and demands bycitizens and politicians towards the administrative state and explores how the administrativestate has sought to become more responsive to citizens and politicians. RECONNECT focuses onfive distinct dimensions of the administrative state covering constitutional, regulatory, enabling,consumer-protecting and consulting dimensions. These dimensions express different, butreinforcing elements of citizenship in democratic governance. Using focus groups and pollingdata to understand citizen attitudes towards the administrative state and documentary andinterviews research regarding political and administrative actors, RECONNECT generates newknowledge to compare and explain variation across dimensions of the administrative state andEU member state jurisdictions. RECONNECT contributes to academic and practitionerknowledge and debates regarding the future of the administrative state in the current age ofturbulence. In doing so, RECONNECT points to ways how citizens can be reconnected to theadministrative state in particular and wider democratic governance more generally.