Does politicization influence senior public officials' work attitudes? Different forms and effects of politicization in the civil service

Abstract

Despite a large body of literature on the effects of politicization, relatively little is known about its relationship with the work attitudes of public employees. This study investigates how different forms of politicization relate to senior executives' job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Using data from a large-scale executive survey conducted in Europe, we found that senior public officials exhibit negative work attitudes when there is political intervention in civil service staffing, when they have little policy influence, and when political actors interfere in their managerial activities. In particular, politicians' disrespect for bureaucratic expertise had the largest effect on work attitudes.