Role Perceptions in Times of Democratic Backsliding
Abstract for Study Group VII: Ethics and Integrity of Governance
By: Prof. dr. Gjalt de Graaf
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
In the past I have done research on the loyalties and role perceptions of public administrators (De Graaf 2011). An ‘administrative role’ has been defined by Selden, Brewer, and Brudney (1999, 175) as “a cohesive set of job-related values and attitudes that provides the public administrator with a stable set of expectations about his or her responsibilities.” The classic public administrator as envisioned by Max Weber is neutral and predictable, and has unquestioned obedience and loyalty to the elected political authorities in serving the public good (Weber 1946). Scholars have argued on empirical grounds that the image of Weber’s public administrator is simply outdated. The ever-changing organizational context, in America and bureaucracies worldwide, changes role perceptions and loyalties.
Since the study of 2011, public governance has seen profound political polarization. And in countries like The United States, Brazil, and Hungary populist regimes are or were in power, with many examples of attempts to undermine the democratic constitutional state. It is time to revisit the study on role perceptions of public administrators. Not just because one can hypothesize that given the changed political landscape, role perceptions have changed, but especially because tensions between bureaucracy and democracy undoubtedly lead to different (kind of) loyalty conflicts. E.g., Jaime Kucinskas (2025) illuminates the precarious tightrope public servants walked during the first Trump administration - balancing professional standards, personal ethics, competing loyalties, and workplace culture in an increasingly difficult political environment. The traditional Weberian view on loyalty of civil servants to political superiors changes when the political superior asks the administrator to break the law or undermine democracy. How do civil servants view their bureaucratic role and how their obligation to democracy?
In Glasgow I propose to present a literature review and theoretical study on bureaucratic role perceptions in times of democratic backsliding. Then I would like to discuss the set-up of empirical research to these role perceptions, and especially discuss within the Study Group the potential for international comparative research on the topic. What are the differences and similarities among the role perceptions of administrators in different countries in times of democratic backsliding?
De Graaf, Gjalt. 2011. 'The Loyalties of Top Public Administrators', Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 21: 285-306.
Kucinskas, Jaime 2025. The Loyalty Trap. Conflciting Loyalties of Civil Servants Under Increasing Autocracy (Columbia University Press: Columbia).
Selden, Sally Coleman, Gene A. Brewer, and Jeffrey L. Brudney. 1999. 'Reconciling Competing Values in Public Administration. Understanding the Administrative Role Concept', Administration & Society, 31: 171-204.
Weber, Max. 1946. 'Politics as a Vocation.' in H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (eds.), From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (Oxford University Press: New York).
