The quality of government represents a critical parameter of modern states for delivering sound public policies for the benefit of citizens. Dimensions such as accountability, impartiality, mechanisms which cope effectively with corruption and government effectiveness stand as core components of the quality of government, whereas at the same time account for much of the variation in the quality of government across European Union (EU) countries. This paper seeks to examine the quality of government by comparing and contrasting countries of the EU with substantially different administrative characteristics and traditions. The research explores two Nordic countries, namely Denmark and Sweden, and, two Mediterranean countries, Italy and Greece. Taking stock of theoretical insights from the political and economic literature the core aim of the paper is to identify plausible explanations with regard to the variations in the quality of government across the four selected EU member-states. The research draws on quantitative data based on the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) and the European Quality of Government index (EQGI). It is argued that certain traits (legacies) of the political-administrative systems of the countries under examination can explain much of the observed, often striking, variations in the quality of government between the North and the South European bureaucracies.

中文翻译：

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欧盟内部政府质量的差异：北方和南方公共官僚机构的比较方法

政府的素质代表了现代国家为实施健全的公共政策以造福公民的关键参数。问责制，公正性，有效应对腐败和政府效力的机制是政府质量的核心组成部分，而与此同时，欧盟（EU）国家中政府质量的差异也很大。本文试图通过比较和对比具有明显不同的行政特征和传统的欧盟国家来检验政府的素质。该研究探索了两个北欧国家，即丹麦和瑞典，以及两个地中海国家，即意大利和希腊。本文从政治和经济文献中总结了理论见解，其核心目的是针对四个选定欧盟成员国政府质量的差异找到合理的解释。该研究基于世界银行的全球治理指标（WGI）和欧洲政府质量指数（EQGI）的定量数据。有人认为，受审查国家的政治行政体系的某些特征（遗产）可以解释北欧和南欧官僚机构之间​​在政府质量上观察到的，常常是惊人的差异。该研究基于世界银行的全球治理指标（WGI）和欧洲政府质量指数（EQGI）的定量数据。有人认为，受审查国家的政治行政体系的某些特征（遗产）可以解释北欧和南欧官僚机构之间​​在政府质量上观察到的，常常是惊人的差异。该研究基于世界银行的全球治理指标（WGI）和欧洲政府质量指数（EQGI）的定量数据。有人认为，受审查国家的政治行政体系的某些特征（遗产）可以解释北欧和南欧官僚机构之间​​在政府质量上观察到的，常常是惊人的差异。