Democratic backsliding and public administration: lessons for theory and practice

Democracy and good public administration are often thought to go hand in hand. However, the conceptual and empirical relationship has tended to be understudied and imprecisely defined. This article draws conclusions from the volume on democratic backsliding and public administration. Drawing from the real theory of democracy, high quality public administration was argued to be an essential component of democracy since it provides citizens with the critical services to empower them to live their lives. Drawing on the studies in the volume, the article concludes that there are several ways in which political leaders may undermine public administration quality. These include reducing impartiality, increasing inequalities, creating legal uncertainty, reducing knowledge, and weakening capacity. It also identifies ways in which public administration can be protected. These include constitutional provisions, legal oversight for the police and military, strengthening organizational routines, building a professional civil service culture, and providing international support.