Open AccessCivil servants as guardians of virtue or servants of democracy
Author(s) -
Bo Smith,
Jørgen Grønnegård Christensen
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
politica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2246-042X
pISSN - 0105-0710
DOI - 10.7146/politica.v48i4.131276
Subject(s) - civil servants , politics , public administration , democratic governance , civil service , corporate governance , democracy , political science , civic virtue , quality (philosophy) , political culture , virtue , law , public service , management , economics , philosophy , epistemology
West European civil servants see themselves as political bureaucrats, working closely with ministers to prepare and implement governmental policies. These political bureaucrats operate within ministerial cultures emphasizing their ability to accommodate without strict hierarchical commands and controls. Even if these countries basically have upheld a merit civil service, some countries to some extent rely on political appointees. However, there is no indication that this limited politicization influences the quality of governance.