Following the Joke: the Appeal of Technocracy in Bureaucratic Settings

This study investigates how bureaucrats at the ministerial level, involved in the (strategic) enhancement of knowledge use, negotiate the relationship between science and democracy in their everyday practices, with particular attention to the appeal of technocracy. The study originates from an early fieldwork observation in which a participant jokingly suggested to “restart the cabinet formation and putting up a bunch of technocrats” during a discussion about declining trust in science. This joke is approached as an empirical entry point within an interpretive, qualitative research design that draws on Ian Cook's (2004) “follow the thing” methodology. This methodology traces how an artefact or object (in this case, a joke) circulates and acquires meaning across actors, practices, and contexts. During in-depth interviews that are being held at the beginning of 2026, participants are invited to interpret the joke and reflect further on the role of science in government and democratic legitimacy. This study responds to the call for more qualitative research on technocracy (Cozzolino et al., 2024). The existing literature on technocracy is divided, conceptualizing it as both tangible and imaginary. This study offers an interpretive perspective, shifting the focus from the nature of technocracy to the reasons behind its appeal to government actors, whether real or imagined. By examining bureaucrats as individuals whose knowledge utilization practices are inseparable from normative considerations, the study also bridges the gap between descriptive, empirical research on knowledge utilization and normative, philosophical debates on science and democracy. This study forms part of my ongoing PhD project on technocracy. This paper presents preliminary findings on how technocratic ideas are articulated, tested and contested through humor. Taking an interpretative approach to technocracy also allows me to explore other under-examined dimensions of technocracy research, including imagination, gender and religion.