The Curious Case of Alternating Party Influence and Politicisation of the Civil Service in Hungary: Understanding the Consequences of Political ‘Returnees’ for Policymaking

This research proposal concerns two mutually reinforcing goals: (1) design and implementation of a pilot study for a PhD dissertation chapter treating the impact of politicization on policymaking in Hungary; (2) contributing new empirical insights to a wider debate in political science regarding party entrenchment in state institutions. Firstly, I aim to uncover the effects of civil service politicization, in terms of composition and behavior, on policymaking dynamics in anti-poverty/social inclusion policies in Hungary. Secondly and relatedly, this project will address the workshop’s following questions: (I) What are the professional, political, educational and social backgrounds of those politically appointed? (II) How do appointees relate to political parties/ politicians who put them in office? The value-add is to inform debates about political party entrenchment through the lens of the impact of civil service politicization on policymaking (i.e., investigating whether certain recruitment profiles lead to different types of behavior: who is more likely to act on behalf of and for the parties?). I will focus on one case study in CEE, where (according to political science literature) political parties have been characterized by relatively weak social anchoring and their strong presence within the state institutions (van Biezen, 2003). On the other hand, it is arguable whether political parties politicize in order to ensure their organizational survival; an alternative explanation is that parties in Hungary are primarily interested in enhancing political control over policymaking and implementation (i.e., Meyer-Sahling in Kopecky, 2008). Through analysis of historical administrative records, civil servant biographies/CVs, as well as surveys and interviews, my contribution will aim to uncover new empirical insights to further inform this debate. It will examine to what extent and how politicization of non-appointed officials is a manifestation of party/political control over policymaking by tracing impacts in governance processes and policy development.