Public Sector Value Congruence Among Old and New EU Member-States? Empirical Evidence from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Estonia

What is the state of public service values in EU countries that have experienced similar yet far from identical administrative reforms? This article compares the findings of empirical studies on public sector values in three EU countries: the Netherlands, one of the founders of the EU and a member since 1951; Denmark, a member since 1973; and Estonia, a very new member that joined the EU in 2004 together with several other former Soviet countries. There are many similarities, as well as a number of interesting differences, among the three countries. In general, their public sector value orientations are in keeping with the values for public organizations in EU member-states prescribed in the Sigma project, which supports prospective members.