Designing a Simulation of Large-Scale Administrative Change

Often, administrative reform is guided by a 'blueprint approach'. Thinking about reform begins with an assessment of the actual situation. When present arrangements are found unfavourable, the question arises what a better administration would look like. In a subsequent design process, characteristics of a new administrative structure are focused upon. Reasonable though this approach may seem, it has two major drawbacks. First, it ignores the fact that in complex interaction processes like public administration, blueprint arrangements may play a significant, but not a decisive role. Important is how these arrangements are perceived and responded to by actors involved. Second, such an approach fails to pay due attention to the transformation process. Here again, the role of actors must be stressed. In a transformation process, many actors are involved whose perceptions differ from those of plan designers, and whose responses make reformprocesses often deviate from initial plans.Both drawbacks are discernable in the process of administrative reform in the region of Rotterdam. Here, the plan was developed to establish a town province comprising the present city of Rotterdam and a number of surrounding cities, while at the same time splitting up Rotterdam into several autonomous municipalities. Section 1 describes the plan and its background. After the plan was designed, its conceivers became concerned about possible lack of cooperation between municipal authorities in the new situation, and the request was made to build a simulation of intermunicipal cooperation in a town province. Section 2 gives a theoretical picture of administrative processes, thus offering a general framework for design. Section 3 discusses the research question, deriving more specific design criteria. Here, the case is made for a not-too-restricted design of a simulation of administrative reform. Section 4 describes the resulting simulation and some findings from two test runs. In a final section, conclusions are drawn in terms of learning, not only by those using or participating in a simulation of administrative reform, but also by researchers and 'third' parties