Central steering has been buffeted by changing models of governance and more demanding environments and government. Central agencies vary in terms of their relationships with the political executive and line departments, and these relationships have tended to vary over time. These changes partly depend on their focus – e.g. financial management and budgeting, policy coordination or personnel – and their salience for the political executive on the one hand, and line agencies on the other.
The paper addresses four approaches to studying the role of agencies at the centre of government. An executive leadership approach emphasises the political executive and in particular the leadership style of the prime minister. An administrative tradition approach examines to what extent integral values have been maintained despite changing relations between the senior public service and ministers. A state-centric focus is concerned with central agency roles in strengthening the central capacity of the state. The fourth approach examines the importance of a meta-governance approach that supports discretion for line agencies within a combination of strategic frameworks and the use of soft law.
These questions are addressed through a comparative and historical analysis of the roles of central agencies in three Anglophone countries: Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Anglophone countries have been depicted as having relatively strong centres, strong political executives plus substantial delegation of responsibilities to line agencies. They are therefore appropriate subjects for examining the relative importance of central and line agency autonomy.
