Legitimacy crises and the temporal dynamics of bureaucratic representation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Murdoch, Zuzana; Connolly, Sara; Kassim, Hussein; Geys, Benny
• 署名单位: University of Bergen; University of East Anglia; BI Norwegian Business School
• 刊物名称: GOVERNANCE-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLICY ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0952-1895
• DOI: 10.1111/gove.12569
• 发表日期: 2022
• 关键词: active representation; DEMOCRACY; time; context; Europe; sense

摘要

The representation of specific groups and social interests within (or by) the civil service has long been a concern of public administration scholarship. Yet, much of this literature focuses on representation at a single point in time. In this article, we propose a more dynamic perspective. In terms of theory, we postulate specific temporal relationships between triggering cues (e.g., a crisis event) and the representation decisions of civil servants. We specify two complementary mechanisms underlying these relationships: that is, a sensemaking process whereby the perceived meaning and relative salience of distinct groups and interests changes over time; and a shift in bureaucrats' discretion to represent specific groups or interests changes over time. We illustrate these time-dependent processes using interview and survey data from the European Commission.