Public administration and the illiberal challenge / Michael W. Bauer

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bauer, Michael W., author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in public and nonprofit administration

Cambridge elements. Elements in public and nonprofit administration, 2515-4303

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public administration.

Authoritarianism.

Medical Subjects:

Authoritarianism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026

Summary:

"This Element addresses the illiberal challenge facing public administration amidst the rise of authoritarian populism and democratic backsliding. It investigates how populist governments seek to reshape state bureaucracies, often undermining liberal democratic principles such as pluralism, expertise, and constitutional safeguards, and examines how public administration must respond to safeguard democratic integrity. Drawing on global examples, the Element identifies strategies of populist administrative manipulation, patterns of bureaucratic compliance and resistance, and critical gaps in scholarly understanding. It develops a framework for analyzing these dynamics and proposes normative principles to defend active democratic bureaucracy. Through theoretical inquiry and practical recommendations, it advocates for robust, ethically grounded public administration capable of countering illiberal pressures. Its central thesis underscores the need to restore the intellectual foundation of public administration as a social science deeply embedded in and committed to the democratic policy process"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

The illiberal challenge

Patterns of illiberal transformation

Intellectual foundations of bureaucratic responsiveness

Administrative reactions

Boosting the bureaucracy’s ability to resist illiberal demands

Meeting the challenge

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed April 30, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Bauer, Michael W. Public administration and the illiberal challenge

ISBN:

9781009635080

1009635085

OCLC:

1585502129

Publisher Number:

CIPO000365826

Access Restriction:

Some versions: Open access versions available from some providers open access