The technocratic tendencies of economists in government bureaucracy

Bibliographic Data

ID6264751
AuthorsJohan Christensen (0000-0002-2582-7827, Leiden University, corresponding author), Ronen Mandelkern (0000-0002-4213-9313, Tel Aviv University)
Year2022
Volume35
Issue1
Pages233-257
Publication date2022-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGovernance (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0952-1895 • E-ISSN: 1468-0491
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/gove.12578
OpenAlexW3127850159
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited30

Economists are by many accounts the most influential group of experts in contemporary political decision‐making. While the literature on the power of economists mostly focuses on the policy ideas of economic experts, some recent studies suggest that economists also hold particular technocratic ideas about the policy process. The article systematically tests this argument. Focusing on economists within government bureaucracy, the study is based on a quantitative analysis of a large‐scale survey of Norwegian ministerial civil servants. It finds that economists are more likely to hold technocratic role perceptions than officials with other educational backgrounds only if they work in the finance ministry or in higher administrative grades. The findings contribute to scholarship on the political sway of economists and to debates about technocracy and the technocratic views of civil servants

Argument (complex analysis · Bureaucracy · Civil servants · Economics · Government (linguistics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Power (physics · Rationality · Scholarship · Sociology · Technocracy · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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Open DOIOpen Access