Bureaucracies' Strategies for Coping With Populism: Insights From Israel

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cohen, Nissim; Sabah, Yekoutiel
• 署名单位: University of Haifa; Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• 刊物名称: GOVERNANCE-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLICY ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0952-1895
• DOI: 10.1111/gove.70061
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: FOREIGN-POLICY

摘要

In recent years, an increasing body of research has examined the influence of populism on public bureaucracies and their responses to this phenomenon. This study seeks to add to this literature by examining how high-level Israeli bureaucrats navigate populist pressures. Based on 32 in-depth interviews with current and former senior officials, our findings reveal that bureaucrats are very aware of populist leaders' attempts to exploit bureaucratic institutions to consolidate power, thereby weakening both the effectiveness of the professionals in these institutions and their autonomy. We also find that bureaucrats employ a mix of strategies including resistance, compliance, and strategic adaptation to cope with these challenges. We propose a classification of these bureaucratic coping strategies, ranging from aggressive resistance to passive compliance, with intermediate strategies balancing adaptation and institutional survival. The Israeli case represents a rather soft bureaucratic response to populism compared to other contexts. Nevertheless, this study contributes to the growing discourse on populism and public administration, offering insights into the complex interactions between populist leadership and bureaucratic institutions.