TY - JOUR
T1 - Who wants technocrats? A comparative study of citizen attitudes in nine young and consolidated democracies
AU - Chiru, Mihail
AU - Enyedi, Zsolt
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Technocratic cabinets and expert, non-political ministers appointed in otherwise partisan cabinets have become a common reality in recent decades in young and older democracies, but we know little about how citizens see this change and what values, perceptions and experiences drive their attitudes towards technocratic government. The article explores the latter topic by drawing on recent comparative survey data from nine countries, both young and consolidated democracies from Europe and Latin America. Two individual-level characteristics trigger particularly strong support for the replacement of politicians with experts: low political efficacy and authoritarian values. They are complemented by a third, somewhat weaker factor: corruption perception. At the macro level, technocracy appeals to citizens of countries where the quality of democracy is deficient and where technocratic cabinets are a part of historical legacy. Surprisingly, civic activism and, partially, satisfaction with democracy enhance technocratic orientation, indicating such attitudes are not expressions of alienation or depoliticisation.
AB - Technocratic cabinets and expert, non-political ministers appointed in otherwise partisan cabinets have become a common reality in recent decades in young and older democracies, but we know little about how citizens see this change and what values, perceptions and experiences drive their attitudes towards technocratic government. The article explores the latter topic by drawing on recent comparative survey data from nine countries, both young and consolidated democracies from Europe and Latin America. Two individual-level characteristics trigger particularly strong support for the replacement of politicians with experts: low political efficacy and authoritarian values. They are complemented by a third, somewhat weaker factor: corruption perception. At the macro level, technocracy appeals to citizens of countries where the quality of democracy is deficient and where technocratic cabinets are a part of historical legacy. Surprisingly, civic activism and, partially, satisfaction with democracy enhance technocratic orientation, indicating such attitudes are not expressions of alienation or depoliticisation.
KW - authoritarianism
KW - cabinets
KW - corruption
KW - political efficacy
KW - public opinion
KW - technocracy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107684020&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/13691481211018311
DO - 10.1177/13691481211018311
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107684020
SN - 1369-1481
VL - 24
SP - 95
EP - 112
JO - British Journal of Politics and International Relations
JF - British Journal of Politics and International Relations
IS - 1
ER -