Between Ideology and Professionalism: How Political Beliefs Shape Professional Norms and Resilience Among Civil Servants

How do political beliefs influence the professional norms and resilience of civil servants? What role does ideological alignment with political superiors play in shaping civil servants' commitment to key principles under political pressure? In an era increasingly marked by political polarisation and politicisation of administrative bodies worldwide, understanding these questions has become ever more crucial. Using original survey experiment data from over 4,000 public managers in local governments in Sweden and Spain, we evaluate how ideological similarities and differences between civil servants and their political superiors influence their adherence to impartiality, a core tenet of the professional bureaucracy. We hypothesise that public servants are less likely to deviate from the impartiality principle when working for political superiors whose ideologies differ from their own. This resistance is expected to be more pronounced among public servants who are ideologically opposed to their superiors, particularly in municipalities experiencing recent political shifts. Furthermore, we hypothesise that Public Service Motivation (PSM) – the personal commitment to serving public interests – might guide public servants' impartial attitudes. We propose that individuals with high levels of PSM are more inclined to resist political pressure, potentially overriding any ideological biases, regardless of their political position. The findings highlight the importance of political ideology and ideological alignment in understanding civil servants' attitudes toward impartiality. By examining the interplay between ideology, ideological alignment with superiors, and PSM, this study aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the factors that shape public servants' commitment to impartiality and resilience in the face of political pressure. This study, in turn, contributes by identifying new mechanisms for democratic resilience and quality of government amid increasingly divided administrations.