Government structures and financial situation will determine future modernization policies and strategies. The rebalancing of power between central and local authorities and the chase for higher productivity in all sub-segments will be the main lines of action for Western European policymakers, thus determining future opportunities for public sector suppliers.

In this study, IDC describes the main characteristics of Western European governments and their activities. The main indicators include the number of organizations, the number of employees, and the annual expenditure. Data and related descriptions are provided for the general government structure and specific secions are dedicated to defense activities, public security, law and order, justice/judicial activities, and tax and revenue, which are major expenditure areas for Western European States. The study includes indicators of government characteristics and activities for total Western Europe and for the five major countries, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.

"Suppliers of products and services to the government sector must focus on total cost of ownership, target local authorities and support the chase for productivity in both front and back end processes," said Massimiliano Claps, program manager, Public Sector, IDC European Vertical Markets.

• Table of Contents
• IDC Opinion
• In This Study
  • Definitions
    • Glossary of Terms
      • Gross Domestic Product
      • The Enterprise as IDC's Economic Entity
      • Employee
  • Methodology
    • Number of Enterprises
      • Breakdown of Enterprise Data into Comparable Segments by Employee Size
      • Breakdown of Enterprise Data into IDC Vertical Industry Categories
      • Align Data to the Most Up-To-Date Time Reference
    • Employment
    • Expenditure and Contribution to GDP
    • Other industry Specific Data
  • Executive Summary
• Situation Overview
  • Structure of Western European Governments
  • Figure: Western European Government Consumption Expenditure as a % of GDP
    • Decentralization Continues
    • Table: Western Europe, Total General Government Expenditure by Level of Government, 2001-2005
    • Table: Western Europe, Total General Government Revenues by Level of Government, 2001-2005
    • Western European Government Financial Situation
    • Table: Western European Governments, Current Financial Situation
  • Structure of the Government Sector in France
  • Table: France Central Government Annual Revenues and Expenditure (?BN)
  • Table: France, Number of Employees by Ministry, 2002-2006
    • Also France Goes Local
    • Table: France, Regional and Local Governments
    • Defense in France
    • Table: French Ministry of Defense, 2006 Budget for Defense Function (?M)
    • Table: French Ministry of Defense Employees by program, 2005-2006
    • Public Security - Law and Order Activity
    • Table: French Public Security Budget, 2005-2006(?M)
    • Table: French Public Security Budget, 2001-2006 (?M)
    • Table: French Public Security Personnel, 2001-2006 (?M)
    • Justice/Judicial Activities
    • Table: France, Justice budget, 2005-2006 (?M)
    • Table: France, Justice Personnel, 2005-2006
    • Tax and Revenue Activities
  • Structure of the Government Sector in Germany
  • Table: Germany, Regional and Local Governments
    • The Reform of German Federalism
    • Economics of the German Government Sector
    • Table: Germany, Budget by Levels (?M)
    • Table: Germany, Budget by Lдnder (?M)
    • Table: Germany, Personnel of Public Employers (000)
    • Defense Activities
    • Public Security - Law and Order Activity
      • The Federal Police
      • The Federal Criminal Police Office
      • Regional Police Forces
    • Justice/Judicial Activities
    • Table: Germany, Employees in Justice Administration
    • Tax and Revenue Activities
  • Structure of the Government Sector in Italy
  • Table: Italy, Government Sector, Number of Organizations
  • Table: Italy, Government Sector, Employees (2002-2004)
  • Table: Italy, Regional and Local Governments
  • Table: Italy, Regional and Local Governments, Employees
    • Economics of Italian Government Sector
    • Table: Italy, Total Central Government Budget (?M)
    • Defense activities
    • Table: Italy, Ministry of Defense Budget, Costs by Organizational Unit (?M)
    • Table: Italy, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces
    • Public Security - Law and Order Activity
    • Table: Italy, Public Security Budget, Costs by Organizational Unit (?M)
    • Table: Italy, Public Security Personnel
    • Justice/Judicial Activities
    • Table: Italy, Ministry of Justice Budget, Costs by Organizational Unit (?M)
    • Table: Italy, Justice System Employees
    • Tax and Revenue activities
  • Structure of the Government Sector in Spain
  • Table: Spain, Regional and Local Governments
    • Economics of Spanish Government Sector
    • Table: Spain, Central Government Budget, Expenditure 2000-2006 (?M)
    • Table: Spain, Public Administration Employees, 2002-2005
    • Defense Activities
    • Table: Spain, Ministry of Defense Budget Allocations by Function, 2000-2006 (?M)
    • Public Security - Law and Order Activity
    • Table: Spain, Ministry of Interior Budget Allocations by Function, 2000-2006 (?M)
    • Justice/Judicial Activities
    • Table: Spain, Ministry of Justice Budget Allocations by Function, 2001-2006 (?M)
    • Tax and Revenue Activities
  • Structure of the Government Sector in the U.K.
    • The Asymmetry in U.K. Devolution
    • Evolution of Government Sector Organization
    • Table: U.K., Regional and Local Governments
    • Economics of the U.K. Government
    • Table: U.K., Public Sector, Expenditure and Receipts (ЈB)
    • Table: U.K., Public Sector, Employment (FTE 000) by Level of Government
    • Table: U.K., Public Sector, Employment (FTE 000) by Function
    • Defense Activities
    • Table: U.K., Ministry of Defence, Public Spending (ЈM)
    • Public Security - Law and Order Activity
    • Table: U.K., Home Office, Resources by Strategic Objectives (ЈM)
    • Justice/Judicial Activities
      • Courts
      • Tribunals
      • Criminal Justice
    • Tax and Revenue Activities
• Future Outlook
  • Governments Invest in Higher Productivity
  • Table: Western European Governments, Future Financial Situation
  • Figure: Italy, Government Sector, Average Age of Employees, 2004
    • Local Authorities Will Partner to Achieve Critical Mass
    • Table: France, Evolution of Municipality Aggregation
    • Spending Per Employee Will Grow to Invest in More Productive Processes and Technology
    • Table: France, Expenditure per Employee in Defense, Public Security and Justice, 2001-2005 (?)
• Essential Guidance
  • Vendors Must Watch Restructuring of Central-Local Balance and Chase Productivity
• Learn More
  • Related Research
  • Synopsis