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Political Adaptability of Bureaucratic Elites a publication by Benny Geys, Per Lægreid, Zuzana Murdoch and Susan Webb Yackee

The paper find significant evidence that agency leaders remaining in office following a shift in the party in power on average reorient their partisan identity in response to such turnover events.

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Bergen, Norway – Researchers From The University Of Bergen, Including Professors Zuzana Murdoch and Per Lægreid, have co-authored a groundbreaking study on the political dynamics within bureaucratic elites. Published in the American Political Science Review, the study challenges the long-held belief that the partisan identification of bureaucratic elites remains stable over time.

The research, conducted in collaboration with Benny Geys from BI Norwegian Business School and Susan Webb Yackee from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explores how bureaucratic leaders in the United States adjust their partisan identification in response to political turnover. Using data from the American State Administrators Project (ASAP) spanning from 1964 to 2008, the study examines the behaviour of 951 agency leaders before and after shifts in the political party of their elected principals.

Key findings reveal that bureaucratic elites who remain in office after a change in the party in power tend to reorient their partisan identity to align more closely with the new political leadership. This adjustment is particularly pronounced among those directly appointed by or in frequent contact with their elected principals. The study highlights the malleability of partisanship among bureaucratic elites, a trait previously underappreciated in public and academic discourse.

The implications of this research are significant, suggesting that the political environment can influence the partisan leanings of those in key administrative positions, potentially affecting policy formulation and implementation. The study calls for a re-evaluation of the assumption that bureaucratic partisanship is fixed, opening new avenues for understanding the interplay between politics and administration.

For more details, the full study is available in the latest issue of the American Political Science Review.