Consequences of a politicized public service system: Perspectives of politicians, public servants, and political experts

Abstract

AbstractPoliticization has different consequences for public administration and public services in different countries. This study seeks to identify the consequences of politicization in the Iranian public service. After reviewing the theoretical foundations of politicization, the authors reflect on different researchers’ and political experts’ views about the consequences of politicization. In the first phase of the study, qualitative data were gathered and categorized into structural, content–behavioral, and environmental dimensions, and Rouban’s framework was used to organize themes. In the second phase, statistical analyses were performed to corroborate the results of the first phase. Results indicated that the consequences of two types of politicization were perceived to be negative ones, and there was one type of politicization in which the consequences were assumed to be more constructive than destructive. Implications and recommendations for future studies are advanced.Related ArticlesAbulof, Uriel. 2013. “Nuclear Diversion Theory and Legitimacy Crisis: The Case of Iran.” Politics & Policy 41(5): 690–722. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12035.Ariely, Gal. 2011. “Why People (Dis)Like the Public Service: Citizen Perception of the Public Service and the NPM Doctrine.” Politics & Policy 39(6): 997–1019. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00329.x.Solar, Carlos. 2020. “Introducing Change in Public Service Organizations under Austerity: The Complex Case of the Governance of Defence in the United Kingdom.” Politics & Policy 48(4): 700–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12368.