Bureaucratic Politicization and its Consequences

Abstract

Politicized bureaucracies select distinct candidates into the state, alter the incentives of those recruited into the state and reshape social norms in public sector organizations. As such, politicization can affect the quality of public service delivery, corruption and state capacity, among others. Yet, to date, empirical evidence on the behavioural and attitudinal consequences of bureaucratic politicization for individual public servants is rather thin. This Panel invites contributions which seek to fill this gap and welcomes Papers which take large-n, experimental and biographical approaches to studying bureaucratic politicization.