Illiberal bureaucrats? A comparative study of illiberal attitudes among public and private workers in Europe

Abstract

Although research on illiberal threats to public administration is growing, limited attention has been given to how illiberalism manifests in the attitudes of civil servants. This article addresses this gap by focusing on whether public workers exhibit illiberal attitudes to a greater or lesser extent compared to their counterparts in the private sector, and how these attitudes are shaped by the macro-political context. Using data from the 2019 European Election Study across 28 European countries, the results reveal attitudinal isomorphism. Civil servants display illiberal attitudes to a similar degree as private sector workers, accounting for variation in illiberalism at the country level. These findings hold important implications for the study of public administration and for efforts aimed at curbing the rise of illiberalism within public institutions.