Legitimacy crises and the temporal dynamics of bureaucratic representation

Murdoch, Zuzana, Connolly, Sara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6714-3493, Kassim, Hussein ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7603-8377 and Geys, Ben (2022) Legitimacy crises and the temporal dynamics of bureaucratic representation. Governance, 35 (1). pp. 65-82. ISSN 0952-1895

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Abstract

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: i.e. 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.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: crisis,european commission,representative bureaucracy,sensemaking,time,3*,multi-source, mixed method study which makes a novel theoretical contribution ,/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/REFrank/3_
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > Norwich Business School
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Research on Children and Families
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Employment Systems and Institutions
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Policy & Politics
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Competition Policy
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 09 Dec 2020 01:07
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2023 09:56
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/77916
DOI: 10.1111/gove.12569

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