Merits or Political Sensitivity? An Examination of Covert Politicization in the Finnish Public Administration

Governments are increasingly centralizing and exerting political influence over public administration to enhance responsiveness and steering capacity. While existing research has addressed many aspects of formal politicization, the extent of covert political influence in the recruitment of top civil servants remains poorly understood. Anecdotal evidence from practitioners and scholars suggests a pervasive trend of covert politicization in the recruitment of top civil servants that goes beyond formal political appointments. This signals a transparency gap between principles and practice. However, accessing data on administrative elites and politicization is notoriously challenging. As a result, little is known about the the perceived degree of political influence on appointments within the public administration. To address this gap, the paper asks: to what extent do ministerial civil servants perceive political influence in top bureaucratic appointments? Focusing on Finland, the study aims to describe the current perceived degree of political influence in top bureaucratic appointments and considers to what extent perceptions vary across positions, roles and organisational characteristics. The study utilizes a unique large-scale survey (N=932) of ministerial civil servants in Finland to analyse perceptions of politicization with hierarchical regression modelling to account for the nested structure of civil servant data. A perception-based politicization index is also created to grasp the intensity of politicization. In Finland, the selection and retention of ministerial advisors and state secretaries is predominantly based on political criteria, reflecting a broader Nordic trend of formal politicization. I argue that, despite the Nordic tradition of disfavoring open politicization, the hybrid meritocratic nature of the Finnish system, coupled with evidence of covert politicization, indicates that political influence is also prevalent in other top appointments. Issue salience within ministries and HRM processes is tightly bound to the degree of politicization, as are the institutional and structural blueprints of organizations. I expect ministries addressing high-salience issues and civil servants in leadership roles–especially those at the politico-administrative interface or in human resources–to report higher levels of perceived politicization due to their exposure to recruitment processes. Additionally, organizations characterized by cooperation, networks, and hierarchical structures are anticipated to demonstrate greater politicization. By leveraging a unique data set on top bureaucrats and introducing novel measurement approaches, this research seeks to clarify the status of politicization within the Finnish context. The findings will enhance understanding of the dynamics of political discretion in the recruitment of top civil servants and clarify the individual and organisational factors shaping perceived politicization. In doing so the paper contributes to the framework of formal politicization and sheds light on the principles of meritocracy, transparency and quality of governance within the Finnish public administration.