Democratic Backsliding and Public Administration

How Populists in Government Transform State Bureaucracies

• Author(s): Michael W. Bauer, B. Guy Peters, Jon Pierre, Kutsal Yesilkagit, Stefan Becker,
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Pages: 320
• ISBN_10: 1316519384
  ISBN_13: 9781316519387
  
• Language: en
• Categories: Political Science / General , Political Science / Comparative Politics , Political Science / Political Process / General , Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration , Political Science / Political Ideologies / General ,

Description:... Liberal democracy is at risk. Its hallmark institutions - political pluralism, separation of powers, and rule of law-are coming under pressure, as authoritarian sentiment is growing around the globe. While liberal-democratic backsliding features prominently in social science scholarship, especially the branches concerned with political parties and political behavior, public administration research lags behind. However, without considering illiberal approaches towards the executive, efforts of actual and aspiring authoritarians remain only partly understood. State bureaucracies are, after all, important instruments of power. This timely and important volume addresses the administrative implications of liberal-democratic backsliding. It studies public administrations as objects and subjects in the context of illiberal dynamics. For this purpose, the volume brings together an international group of scholars to analyze authoritarian tendencies in several countries. The contributions combine theoretical with empirical work, providing the first comparative perspective on an overlooked aspect of one of the most important contemporary political trends.