No. 14

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The Minister’s Personal Adviser as a Civil Servant with a Political Mission

18 December 2006

Studies

RiTo No. 14, 2006

  • Maria Keris

    master's degree candidate, Tallinn University

  • Jako Salla

    master's degree candidate, Tallinn University

The role and position of minister’s adviser in Estonian politics and civil service system is a topic that has received little attention so far.

Traditionally, the minister’s personal adviser has been seen as an integral part of a political structure but, as this article will show, the position can also be analysed as a third player in a policy-making process. Advisers have a significant and at the same time dualistic role in coordinating ministries’ policies: on the one hand the adviser participates in the process of policy formulation and selection as a political actor, on the other – he/she has an active role as a civil servant in the implementing process. In this article, firstly, the causes of emergence of minister’s personal adviser’s position in western European political system are outlined; secondly, the possible roles of an adviser are brought out and thirdly, the case study carried out in two Estonian ministries in autumn 2005 will be presented.

Full article in Estonian

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