1 International Review of Administrative Sciences Accepted 1 st July 2023 Published early view 1 st August 2023 DOI: 10.1177/002085523231188506 Bureaucratic policy work and analytical capacities in central administrations in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain: The results of a comparative survey Giliberto CAPANO, Alice CAVALIERI and Andrea PRITONI Abstract Policy analytical capacity is a pivotal source of good governance. While this capacity can be acquired by decision makers in various ways, it is clear that the internal stock of analytical capacity is strategic in terms of supporting policymaking. This stock can be concentrated in specific types of organisational roles (like policy professionals), but it can also be considered a constitutive component of ordinary bureaucratic work. This paper adopts this latter perspective to analyse the characteristics in terms of policy work and analytical capacities of high-level bureaucrats of the central administrations of the Old Southern Four (OSF): Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The data were collected through a large online survey involving more than 1,000 high civil servants. The empirical evidence offered shows the high differentiation in terms of policy work and analytical capacities that characterise the four analysed central bureaucracies and confirms that, despite the expected similarities among the four countries, differences are striking and concern almost all dimensions of analysis. Moreover, Spain has a higher stock of policy analytical capacities. Thus, a policy work perspective can also be a fruitful lens for analysing whether and how administrative reforms are capable to penetrate the micro dimensions of administrative behaviour. Keywords: Central administration – policy analytical capacities – policy work – Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain – policy analysis