Political Orientation and Policy Involvement of City Managers: An Empirical Study of the Value-Activity Relationship

Abstract

Research shows that city managers have adopted a political orientation toward their roles in an effort to increase their contributions to democratic governance. This paper asks the research question, does political orientation with its focus on collaboration, democratic principles, and representation impact political responsiveness and political neutrality? This study examines the relationship between these values, by specifying and testing four theoretical models of increasing complexity. Using survey data collected from a nationally representative sample of U.S. city managers, this study finds that politically orientated managers are more likely to get involved in the policy process. However, the impact of policy involvement on political responsiveness and political neutrality varies depending on the type of policy involvement. The findings of this research contribute to the literature on politics-administration relationship.