List of Tables and Figures Notes on the Authors Acknowledgements PART I: INTRODUCTION Central Research Questions and Argument Central Concepts Theoretical Lenses Data and Methods PART II: DESCRIBING AGENCIES AND THEIR CONTEXTS Politico-administrative Regimes in Norway, Ireland and Flanders Agencification in Norway, Ireland and Flanders: History, Reforms and Types PART III: COMPARING STATES Theories on Similarities and Dissimilarities Between States Comparing Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management Between States Explaining Similarities and Dissimilarities in Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management Between States PART IV: COMPARING AGENCIES Theories on Similarities and Dissimilarities Between Agencies Comparing Autonomy and Control of Agencies Comparing Internal Management of Agencies Explaining Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management: The Importance of Agency Level Characteristics and State Level Characteristics Appendix A Distribution on Dependent Variables Appendix B Comparing Agency Autonomy, Control and Internal Management. The Importance of Agency Characteristics Without and with Controlling for State-level Factors Appendix C List of State Agencies Studied Bibliography