Politicization, Discretion, and Institutional Power Under Populist Pressures

Abstract

This panel focuses on the politicization of public administration and the contestation of bureaucratic authority under populist and illiberal pressures. The papers explore how political parties, governments, and publics reshape discretion, personnel systems, and institutional power relations, combining empirical analyses with institutional perspectives. Collectively, the panel advances understanding of how bureaucratic autonomy and legitimacy are challenged and reconfigured in contemporary democracies.

Title	Details
Illiberal Transformation of Bureaucracy Under Right-Wing Populism	View Paper Details
Political Parties’ Attitudes Towards Bureaucracy	View Paper Details
Econocratic Bodies and Populist Governments – A Research Agenda	View Paper Details
Citizen Preferences on Discretion in the Age of Democratic Backsliding and the Rise of Populism	View Paper Details
Politicization in the Public Eye: How Citizens Interpret Bureaucratic Responses to Populist Attacks	View Paper Details