What's in a silo? Taking the concept "administrative silos" seriously

While the term "silos" is frequently used in Public Administration research, its use is limited to a passing mention point at inward-looking administrative units that are unwilling or incapable of engaging with other units openly and constructively. Lacking precise concept development, limited efforts have been made to explore factors and mechanisms that create and maintain "administrative silos". Similarly, we know little about variation, i.e. between administrative domains, over time, or cross-national. This paper seeks to theorize and conceptualize administrative silos. Based on a literature review, the paper theorizes about silo creation and reinforcement mechanisms, distinguishing cultural and regulatory mechanisms. The paper also discusses various approaches to measure silo-ization and seeks to apply this conception to the German ministerial administration.