Multilevel Reasoning: Conciliation and Deference in Complex Administrative Orders

Abstract

How to assess the agency of administrative bodies in systems of complex interdependence? The article develops a concept of multilevel reasoning that is constituted by two attitudes towards inter-institutional challenges: constructive conciliation and well-placed deference. The article explains how this concept helps us interpret the evaluations of two scandals of welfare administration in Norway and the Netherlands. These cases exemplify why lack of constructive conciliation and well-placed deference generate legitimate criticism. The cases attest to the advantage of a constructive theory of administrative reasoning over established perspectives that are focused on deficits and cognitive overload rather than on active choice.