Political attacks and the undermining of the bureaucracy: The impact on civil servants' well-being

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lotta, Gabriela; Tavares, Gustavo M.; Story, Joana
• 署名单位: Getulio Vargas Foundation; Insper
• 刊物名称: GOVERNANCE-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLICY ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0952-1895
• DOI: 10.1111/gove.12792
• 发表日期: 2024
• 关键词: MIXED METHODS RESEARCH; JOB DEMANDS; EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION; resources model; BURNOUT; absenteeism; performance; validation; REFORM; time

摘要

Countries are facing the deterioration of democratic institutions under a process named democratic backsliding. In this context, political attacks on public organizations become more frequent and intense. While previous studies have examined how civil servants counteract and resist political attacks, their ultimate impact on civil servants' well-being remains underexplored. To shed light on this phenomenon, we conducted an exploratory sequential mixed methods design with civil servants from Brazil. The first phase of the study is qualitative and exploratory. The second is quantitative and we tested if perceived political attacks was associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion, which, in turn, would lead to a greater incidence of physical health symptoms. Both studies provide compelling evidence of the negative impact of political attacks on civil servants' emotional and physical health, which may have significant consequences for the performance of public organizations and the effective functioning of the democracy.