Between a rock and a hard place: Balancing the duties of political responsiveness and legality in the civil service

Bischoff, Carina Saxlund

doi:10.1111/padm.12898

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…They are supposed to be impartial and to follow the directions from elected politicians. They may be expected to "speak truth to power" but in the end, it is power (the politicians) who make the policy choices, and the civil servant is to obey (Bischoff, 2022).…”

Section: Democratic Backsliding and Bureaucracy: Individual Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Guardian State: Strengthening the public service against democratic backsliding

Yesilkagit,

Bauer,

Peters

et al. 2024

Public Administration Review

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Liberal democracy has become vulnerable to illiberal political movements and the gradual erosion of democratic institutions. To safeguard liberal democracy, we propose the concept of the Guardian State, which embraces liberal principles while acting as a defensive barrier against illiberal tendencies. We need strong administrative institutions that uphold liberal democratic norms and resist pressures from populist politicians. Institutionalizing guardianship as the key norm within the civil service fortifies democratic institutions against backsliding. The principle of neutrality alone cannot ensure that only liberal citizens come to power. Structural measures at the individual and organizational levels are essential to fortify the foundations of the Guardian State and protect liberal democracy against evolving threats. Proactive efforts are necessary to defend and strengthen the public service to ensure the long‐term viability of democratic governance. The Guardian State places the bureaucracy in a key role in preserving the core principles of democracy.

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Section: Democratic Backsliding and Bureaucracy: Individual Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Guardian State: Strengthening the public service against democratic backsliding

Yesilkagit,

Bauer,

Peters

et al. 2024

Public Administration Review

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“…Moreover, this type of minister is capable of enhancing effectiveness in the policy implementation process by exerting politicians' influence for the administration's governability (Lee, 2018a). Yet, although ministers with legislative backgrounds can play the role of political advocates, appointing them has a clear trade‐off: they are likely to gain such a reputation in their career based on the political skills of oratory and rhetoric, without extensive experience in public sector management, or without in‐depth knowledge and expertise about specific policies (Bischoff, 2022; Blondel, 1991; Lee & McClean, 2022; Lee & Schuler, 2020).…”

Section: Public Assessments Of Ministerial Leadership During National...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Public assessments of ministerial leadership in times of national crisis: The case of the pandemic crisis

Lee

2022

Public Administration

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Public administration and political science researchers have debated what constitutes effective ministerial leadership in presidential governments. Some argue that, looking at it from the chief executive's perspective, ministers ought to be capable of supporting her policy programs, but others, taking the bureaucrats' point of view, contend that ministers need to be experienced in managing agencies and executing policy correctly. However, there has been a lack of research on the public assessments of ministerial leadership, particularly in times of crisis. We contribute experimental evidence by analyzing original survey data on more than 1200 South Korean citizens collected during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We find that, overall, citizens are more likely to endorse ministers' technical expertise and management abilities than their political skills during a crisis. Moreover, as the impact of a national crisis becomes more severe, the levels of support enjoyed by ministers with technical expertise increase more than the support given to ministers with other skills.

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Administrative responses to democratic backsliding: When is bureaucratic resistance justified?

Bauer

2023

Regulation & Governance

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Populist, illiberal, or outright autocratic movements threaten democracies worldwide, particularly when such extreme political forces gain control of executive power. For public administration illiberal backsliders in government pose a dilemma. Trained on instrumental values and expected to implement neutrally the political choices of their elected superiors, bureaucrats lack orientation of how to act in situations when obeying their own government may mean becoming an accomplice to democratic regression. Against this background, this article maps the dubious demands of backsliders in government as well as the potential reactions of bureaucrats to them. Public administration thinking is subsequently examined with a view to showing how administrative resistance to democratic backsliding could be normatively justified. Finally, the article provides practical recommendations to enhance the resilience of democratic public administration in the face of illiberal challenges.

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Between a rock and a hard place: Balancing the duties of political responsiveness and legality in the civil service

Cited by 4 publications

References 66 publications

The Guardian State: Strengthening the public service against democratic backsliding

The Guardian State: Strengthening the public service against democratic backsliding

Public assessments of ministerial leadership in times of national crisis: The case of the pandemic crisis

Administrative responses to democratic backsliding: When is bureaucratic resistance justified?

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