Scale is one of the classic themes in the study of Public Administration. Despite much research and debate, a lot of questions remain open. This special issue introduces scale sensitive governance as an alternative concept. It relates to taking into account the context, departing from dogma's or illusions about the ideal scale, and looking for new ways to deal with issues of scale.

The theme of scale is simply too big to grasp in one special issue of this journal. However, having discussed some topical issues of scale, we denounce the illusion of an ideal scale and welcome a new perspective. We introduce the concept of scale sensitive governance and use insights from the different articles in this special issue to discuss the concept. Scale sensitive governance relates to 1) being sensitive towards different logics of scale, 2) leaving behind scale as a dogmatic concept, and (3) linking scale to broader developments in society.

A surprising difference between the Netherlands and Flanders is that a Flemish minister may appoint more than 20 advisors, while Dutch ministers can appoint only one or two ‘political assistants’. However, this difference was hardly studied before, although it is a relevant and actual theme. This article analyzes the differences in role and position of Flemish ministerial advisors and Dutch political assistants. We show that there exist large differences between both types of advisors and we discuss the reasons for and consequences of this difference. The institutional context in which both actors work determines a lot their role. Differences in political culture and administrative organization in particular seem to be important explanatory factors.