1. Cultural specific of governance institution-building: the comparative analysis of European experience International Symposium on ‘Belt and Road’ for Think Tank Network” Cooperation in Multi-countries , Harbin, China
Georg Sootla
professor of public policy, Tallinn University
Kersten Kattai
lecturer of public administration,Tallinn University
advisor of local government policy, Ministry of Finance of Estonia

2. My research and teaching experiences
Public policy-making process
Government reforms
Local governance (central-local relations)
Core executive studies
Sootla, Georg (2010) Institutional context of Politico-administrative Systems in Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 3, No. 6 (Sun Yate Sen University, Guangzhou)
Sootla, Georg (2009) Responses to the crisis of local autonomy in Estonia: centralization vs. multilevel governance perspective. - Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 3, No. 5

3. Limits of institutional transfer: Estonian experience
Local government policy transfer of split hierarchy in 1990
2000-s – heavy bias toward centralization (2010 report in the Parliament)
1990s – politicized collegial cabinet (UK)
2000s Council of (partisan) ministers

4. Why institutions vary: components of institutions
Social economic and international context
Ideas, expectations, strategies
Formal institutions (codified rules of game)
Political games
Interactive discourse
Informal rules, interpretations (customs, scripts)
Basic presumptions and values

5. Differences of basic values of different nations (Hofstede)
Power distance – how autonomous can be the state or higher authority vs. individual
Individualism versus collectivism – I and We societies
Masculinity versus feminity – achievement-competition, maximalism vs. caring others, quality of social relations (consensus)
Uncertainty avoidance – how much uncertainty vs. formal regulations
Pragmatic versus normative – how adaptive are, easiness to change traditions, to save and invest

6. Differences of basic values of different nations https://www

7. Images of the state
The state as superior which care and punish (Continental Europe)
The government as the mediator of conflicting interests (UK, USA), the State is a territory
The government as the council of elders seeking consensus – Nordic-Countries, Dutch, Swiss
The state as a milk-cow for (family) clan prosperity (Southern Europe)

8. Power distance Low vs. high hierarchies in administration:
high hierarchy (France) vs. nested hierarchy (UK,NPM) vs. devolved hierarchies (as self-organization) (Denmark)
Power (France) vs. expert’s (Germany)
Elitism versus egalitarianism in distribution of wealth/education (Finland vs.UK)

9. Individualism vs. collectivism
Vertical individualism
I should be the best, weaker should quit
USA, liberalism 1 - competitive, politicized, procedural, majoritarian
Horizontal individualism
I should be perfect, must self-realize my better qualities
Nordic, liberalism 2 - consensual, substantive democracy, pragmatic solidarity (sense of welfare), complementation as perfections
Horizontal collectivism
Enjoy community, cooperation is a source of synergy (power)
Vertical collectivism
Community must be first, sacrifying with individual freedom
Conservative, corporatist, inward looking, France, Spain

10. Legal norms and power
Law as an instrument of sovereign will
Weber – monopoly for compulsion – Roman-Napoleonic
Law as tehnical rule
Weber – rational legitimacy – German Napoleonic
Laws as convention, agreement (We as the people..)
(a) competitive interpretation – courts USA
(b) participative rule making-negotiated rules Nordic (Finnish Constitution)

11. Cultures of Local Governance
Liberal
Self-governing
Conservative/ clan
Concept of power and local government
As evil
As empowerment
As ownership of the best
Image of local government
As service provision firm
As our’s government
As trditional community
Values
Individualism, competition
Cooperation, consensus
Corporatism, loyalty to community
Political purpose
Context for taxpayers, preparation of labour force
Increase of peoples capacity and quality of life
Status quo, lack of interentions from outside

12. Institutions and institutionalism
What are the basis for government institutions?
Logic of calculations (optimal chioces)
Logic of appropriateness
Logic of historical path-dependence
Logic of communication

13. Why institutions vary: structuration of institutions
Social economic and international context
Ideas, expectations, strategies
Formal institutions (codified rules of game)
Political games
Interactive discourse
Informal rules, interpretations (customs, scripts)
Basic presumptions and values

14. Northern Sea Route

15. Thank you for cooperation! sootlageorg@gmail.com