ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter uses the paradigm of “administrative culture” as an explanatory construct to understand differences and similarities between two sets of partners, US federal officials and counterparts in the European Commission (the administrative arm of the EU). The first section explores the variables that affect the ability of EU and US officials to agree to policies of mutual concern. The second section explains the importance of “administrative culture” to bureaucratic culture in executive departments and agencies. The third section compares and contrasts EU and US administrative cultures. The fourth section examines the background and orientation of EU and US bureaucrats. The chapter assesses the extent to which EU and US administrative cultures may or may not be converging.
