Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies
Technocratic cabinets and expert, non-political ministers appointed in otherwise partisan cabinets have become a common reality in recent decades in young and older democracies, but we know little about how citizens see this change and what values, perceptions and experiences drive their attitudes t...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publications
2021
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| _version_ | 1797071778047066112 |
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| author | Chiru, M Enyedi, Z |
| author_facet | Chiru, M Enyedi, Z |
| author_sort | Chiru, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Technocratic cabinets and expert, non-political ministers appointed in otherwise partisan cabinets have become a common reality in recent decades in young and older democracies, but we know little about how citizens see this change and what values, perceptions and experiences drive their attitudes towards technocratic government. The article explores the latter topic by drawing on recent comparative survey data from nine countries, both young and consolidated democracies from Europe and Latin America. Two individual-level characteristics trigger particularly strong support for the replacement of politicians with experts: low political efficacy and authoritarian values. They are complemented by a third, somewhat weaker factor: corruption perception. At the macro level, technocracy appeals to citizens of countries where the quality of democracy is deficient and where technocratic cabinets are a part of historical legacy. Surprisingly, civic activism and, partially, satisfaction with democracy enhance technocratic orientation, indicating such attitudes are not expressions of alienation or depoliticisation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:58:06Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:61208ec2-e8a6-4a43-876f-acffa9e4288e |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:58:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | SAGE Publications |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:61208ec2-e8a6-4a43-876f-acffa9e4288e2022-03-26T17:57:44ZWho wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democraciesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:61208ec2-e8a6-4a43-876f-acffa9e4288eEnglishSymplectic ElementsSAGE Publications2021Chiru, MEnyedi, ZTechnocratic cabinets and expert, non-political ministers appointed in otherwise partisan cabinets have become a common reality in recent decades in young and older democracies, but we know little about how citizens see this change and what values, perceptions and experiences drive their attitudes towards technocratic government. The article explores the latter topic by drawing on recent comparative survey data from nine countries, both young and consolidated democracies from Europe and Latin America. Two individual-level characteristics trigger particularly strong support for the replacement of politicians with experts: low political efficacy and authoritarian values. They are complemented by a third, somewhat weaker factor: corruption perception. At the macro level, technocracy appeals to citizens of countries where the quality of democracy is deficient and where technocratic cabinets are a part of historical legacy. Surprisingly, civic activism and, partially, satisfaction with democracy enhance technocratic orientation, indicating such attitudes are not expressions of alienation or depoliticisation. |
| spellingShingle | Chiru, M Enyedi, Z Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| title | Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| title_full | Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| title_fullStr | Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| title_short | Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| title_sort | who wants technocrats a comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chirum whowantstechnocratsacomparativestudyofcitizenattitudesinnineyoungandconsolidateddemocracies AT enyediz whowantstechnocratsacomparativestudyofcitizenattitudesinnineyoungandconsolidateddemocracies |