Politisering af embedsværket og demokratisk tilbagegang
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/politica.v58i3.167960Keywords:
demokratisk tilbagegang, politisering, bureaukrati, embedsværketAbstract
Top-down politisering, hvor embedsværket rekrutteres og styres med henblik på politisk loyalitet, er potentielt en central årsag til regeringsanført demokratisk tilbagegang, fordi den øger sandsynligheden for, at regeringers autokratiske tiltag bliver til virkelighed. Gennem en kritisk diskussion af eksisterende litteratur viser denne artikel, at top-down politisering ofte fejlagtigt undervurderes som årsag på grund af to problematiske antagelser: at top-down politisering er et resultat af eller symptom på autokratisk indstillede regeringers succesfulde magtudøvelse eller dybereliggende faktorer, der også forårsager demokratisk tilbagegang. I stedet præsenterer artiklen en teoretisk ramme i form af en trinvis guide til mere systematiske og valide empiriske undersøgelser af top-down politiserings relevans i en eller flere givne cases. Fokus er på, om administrationstypen bestemte embedsværkets reaktion på regeringsangreb på demokratiet, og om administrationstypen stammede fra historisk kontingente forhold og reproducerede sig selv indtil valget af den autokratisk indstillede regering. Rammen er også anvendelig for andre institutionelle forklaringer på demokratisk tilbagegang.
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