Shifting Challenges: Government Coalitions and the Selection of Top Civil Servants

Previous research has examined the influence of parliamentary majorities and governmental ideology on the politicization of top civil servants. However, these studies neglect two points: First, they focus solely on politicization, leaving out civil servants’ professional background. Second, while they consider the overall ideological tendency of government, they disregard influences of distinct coalitions. The article addresses both research gaps. It proposes that the constellation of government affects the recruitment criteria of top civil servants. Governments consisting of more than two partners or of parties traditionally not close in their ideological alignment form a contested political environment that deviates from that of single party governments or established coalitions. It asks whether top civil servants considered competent under traditional coalitions are seen as equally qualified for their position in more difficult political settings. The study explores whether specific types of coalitions entail consequences for the recruitment criteria of top civil servants. It hypothesizes that political craft or party political loyalty to the minister become more relevant in contested political contexts. The article draws on the biographies of 500 top civil servants in the German Länder, including their professional as well as their political careers. Because of a general increase of electoral volatility, their similar political systems and identical national context, the Länder pose an ideal opportunity to observe the unobstructed influence of government constellations.