IIAS/IISA Administration and Service 1930-2005

75 years is a remarkable lifetime for any institution, especially if one considers the impressive changes that public administration has undergone.

The ICT revolution has radically altered the way public administration operates.

Also the traditional design of bureaucratic organizations has been seriously reshaped because of a communicational flow that is intense and pervasive as never before.

But the most intriguing change affecting public administration is the world-wide battle for democracy and political participation.

Later, the issue of globalization and the growing mismatch between governments, legal frameworks, territories and communities came into view.

This publication consists of six essays; the first gives us a general account of the history of the Institute; the second describes the evolution of the governance, the membership, and the activities of the IIAS.

Essay three reconstructs the international dimension of the Institute's life from its earlier stage to World War II.

Essay four is about the relation between IIAS and that sphere of knowledge which has been termed "administrative sciences". The fifth essay focuses on the special relationship between the IIAS and Brussels.

The final essay traces the main lines of the recent history of the Institute, projecting those lines into the coming years.

Altogether the six chapters bring fresh information and new appreciation about the history of IIAS and offer reliable material to work at an explanation of the history of this institution, notably for its capacity to continuously adjust itself to a deeply changing world, to overcome crises and even to recover from lethal attacks.