Bureaucratic Neutrality Research Articles

On the Roots of Epistemological Sexism and its Impact on Public Administration Scholarship and Praxis

Bureaucratic neutrality norms render emotions problematic in the workplace largely due to presumptions that emotions cloud reasoning. This article traces the origins of bureaucratic neutrality to 17th-century Cartesian mind/body dualism. However, in Descartes’s correspondence with contemporary philosopher Elisabeth of Bohemia, he retreats from strict dualism in reaction to her argument that emotions may actually inform decision making. Elisabeth’s critique stays lost to history due in part to the epistemological sexism underpinning bureaucratic neutrality and public administration. Structural Topic Modeling reveals embodied reasoning and interpersonal interdependence in Elisabeth’s critique, undermining the strict mind/body dualism that lurks in both bureaucratic neutrality and public administration.

Portrait of the Politicization of Indonesian Bureaucracy in the 2024 Election

This study delves into the intricate relationship between the state and government, with a specific focus on bureaucracy as a pivotal component of government policy. Against the backdrop of political science, the article investigates the politicization of bureaucracy during the 2024 elections in Indonesia. By tracing the historical trajectory of bureaucratic politicization from the New Order to Reformasi, the research sheds light on the evolution of this phenomenon. Emphasizing bureaucratic neutrality as a cornerstone of good governance, the study employs a qualitative-critical descriptive approach through literature reviews. Qualitative data, derived from expert statements and scientific perspectives, undergoes rigorous analysis using discourse and content analysis methods. The historical analysis exposes the enduring link between bureaucracy and politics, notably during the New Order era, characterized by Golkar's absolute dominance. Despite post-1998 bureaucratic reforms, the persistent challenge of bureaucratic politicization looms large, especially in anticipation of the 2024 elections. The research underscores that achieving bureaucratic neutrality encounters obstacles rooted in the political system and socio-political conditions. Conceptual and theoretical discussions, though robust, falter in implementation. Effectuating bureaucratic neutrality mandates stringent adherence to rules, commitment from all bureaucracies, and robust supervision and law enforcement. The imperative for bureaucratic neutrality in the 2024 elections necessitates comprehensive socialization across bureaucracies and active stakeholder engagement, particularly from political parties. Fostering awareness of bureaucratic integrity and neutrality is indispensable for upholding public service duties and advancing the principles of good governance in Indonesia.

Tantangan Dan Prospek Netralitas Birokrasi Dalam Pemilu 2024

This research aims to explain the challenges and prospects of bureaucratic neutrality in the 2024 Election in Bima Regency. This study utilizes a qualitative descriptive method and literature review. The research location is in Bima Regency, which is strategically situated to examine case studies and the issues at hand. Data collection techniques consist of literature review, observation, interviews, and documentation. After collecting complete data from the field, the next step is the data analysis phase. In this research, the data analysis technique employs the interactive model, consisting of three main elements: data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion/verification. The research findings indicate that maintaining bureaucratic neutrality in the 2024 Election in Bima Regency requires rigorous oversight, cooperation among relevant institutions, and the enhancement of bureaucratic human resources' quality. Civil servants (ASN) also need to understand the importance of maintaining their neutrality in the 2024 Election to prevent identity politicization, political funding, and the spread of hoaxes. Regulations and guidelines also play a crucial role in preserving bureaucratic neutrality during the elections.

MENITI ULANG MASALAH ETIKA DAN NETRALITAS ASN DI ERA REFORMASI BIROKRASI

Bureaucratic reform is a big job that requires large resources, earnest efforts and strong commitment from all levels of government management. Bureaucratic reform must be able to mobilize the full potential of the Indonesian nation, first of all we should clean up bureaucratic diseases, and if it is not immediately resolved it can cause the government not going well, because it reduces trust in the community. Therefore, the Government of Indonesia is currently carrying out bureaucratic reforms that must make corrections and retrace the ethics of the bureaucracy or public administration. Bureaucratic ethics related to the mentality and morality of the bureaucratic apparatus in carrying out government functions, because many cases of ASN in Indonesia involve problems related to bureaucratic ethics, the most common in Indonesia is corruption. Many cases of corruption prove that Indonesia's bureaucratic ethics is still weak and requires improvement in bureaucratic ethics. Apart from that, in government it is also known as administrative or bureaucratic neutrality. The neutrality of the bureaucracy is not a new thing, but with state administration as an organ of the bureaucracy in Indonesia it will definitely be neutral. According to Sondang P, the bureaucracy must be neutral, meaning that this principle is interpreted by saying that the government bureaucracy must continue to function properly, regardless of the influence of the prevailing political parties.

The Problem of Neutrality of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) in the 2020 Regional Head Election

This article will discuss the neutrality of bureaucracy in Indonesia with the perspective of data collection from online media. Where the purpose of this paper is to find out the involvement of ASN in the power struggle in the implementation of regional head elections. If we look at the many cases of neutrality violations that occurred in the 2020 regional head elections, this is also justified by the State Civil Affairs Commission which records cases of violations of bureaucratic neutrality. The implementation of regional head elections conducted in 2020 is indeed full of pros and cons, besides that almost every regional head election always arises the issue of bureaucratic neutrality. In 2020, there were 694 ASNs who committed violations and have been reported to the State Civil Apparatus Commission. This shows that the implementation of regional head elections is one of the momentums for candidates for regional heads and ASNs to conduct patron-client practices. In addition, the implementation of regional head elections is also carried out during the covid-19 pandemic so that it is possible to have ASN involvement in the implementation of campaigns and so on. Because in 2020 there is a lot of involvement of civil apparatus that shows open support to one of the candidates.

Dynamics of Bureaucratic Neutrality Policy in Indonesia

This research reveals the dynamics of relations between civil servants and political parties in Indonesia from the Old Order, the New Order to the Reform Era. This study is an important effort to observe the dynamics of civil servants and political parties in Indonesia and create social learning contributions for the betterment of the country. A qualitative research method with secondary data/literature study was selected. The literature study examined policy documents related to bureaucratic neutrality in the Old Order, New Order, and Reform Era. The study data were collected through documentation, including data from papers related to bureaucratic neutrality in the periods above. The study shows that the idea of bureaucratic neutrality had been initiated since the Old Order, disappeared during the New Order, and was reborn in the Reform Era. The challenge of bureaucratic neutrality was the pull of political parties in the parliamentary system during the Old Order, the power of bureaucracy to be the political supporters of the rulers during the New Order, and the contestation of presidential and regional head elections in the Reform Era, which often tests bureaucratic neutrality

Relevansi Politik Kekuasaan Dan Kinerja Birokrasi Pasca Pemilihan Bupati Dan Wakil Bupati Aceh Barat Periode 2017-2022 Di Dinas Kesehatan

This study focuses on the relationship between the Pilkada and the performance of the Aceh Barat Health Office. This study aims to analyze the relevance of power politics to the performance of the West Aceh Health Service bureaucracy that has not been optimal, and to find a solution so that the West Aceh Health Service bureaucracy is protected from the political impact of the Pilkada. The main theories used are Peter Merkl's theory of power politics (Budiardjo, 2007), Weber's bureaucratic neutrality (Miftah Thoha, 2014) and Sofian Effendi, 2018), and bureaucratic performance theory (Agus Dwiyanto. 2012). Bureaucracy must be impartial, which means it must be fair, objective, unbiased and not in favor of anyone. Mutations and promotions are indicated to be related to the Pilkada process in West Aceh which has affected the West Aceh Health Service so that performance in serving the public is disrupted. The politicization of power and the performance of the bureaucracy in Aceh Barat Regency was shown in the form of inappropriate promotions and mutations at the Aceh Barat Health Office. Some of them are: 1) promotion of functional dr in Puskesmas to become director of CND Hospital in 2018, 2) recruitment of Freelance Daily Workers (THL) for cleaning staff, administrative staff and health workers at CND Hospital, 3) transfer of Puskesmas midwives to the secretariat DPRK, 4) transfer of specialist doctors from CND Hospital to Puskesmas. The solution to prevent the politicization of power is by means of the DPRK exercising tighter control over the policies of the regent. For example, by creating a special committee and urging the regent to remove the incompetent director of the RSUD.

Alternative in strengthening bureaucratic neutrality through political culture in the 2019 election in Boalemo Regency

Artikel ini bertujuan menelaah dan menganalisis persoalan netralitas birokrasi dalam perspektif budaya politik pada Pemilu 2019 di Kabupaten Boalemo. Permasalahan mengenai ketidaknetralan birokrasi dalam pemilu disebabkan oleh budaya politik kaula. Untuk menjawab masalah dimaksud, penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologis dimana peneliti sebagai informan kunci dalam pengumpulan data melalui wawancara dan dokumentasi khususnya literatur yang berhubungan dengan objek yang sama. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa ASN yang berada di jajaran struktural dan fungsional guru cenderung tidak netral disebabkan dari Bupati sebagai kepala daerah, sikap dan pilihan politik cenderung pada budaya politik kaula. Sementara itu birokrasi yang berada dalam jajaran fungsional Kesehatan cenderung netral dan lebih mengedepankan nilai rasionalitas berdasarkan pada budaya politik partisipan. Atas temuan tersebut, perlu adanya penguatan budaya politik partisipan bagi birokrasi di daerah melalui sosialisasi dan pendidikan politik.
 
 Kata kunci: Budaya Politik, Birokrasi, Pemilu 2019

Bureaucratic Neutrality Index in Direct Regional Head Elections: Optimism in Developing Professional Bureaucracy in Indonesia

The study aimed to describe bureaucratic neutrality at regional level and its necessity in direct regional head elections in Indonesia. This research is important in examining whether state civil apparatuses are tempted to enter the practical political arena in regional head elections despite being prohibited by the principle of bureaucratic neutrality. This study employed a descriptive quantitative research method and index analysis techniques. A research population of 12,539 state civil apparatuses (SCAs) in Banyumas, Indonesia was utilized, 400 of which were selected as the research samples. Employing Slovin formula, 95% confidence level and margin of error 4.92% were obtained. This study indicates a satisfactory level of bureaucratic neutrality at 3.18 or 79.59. Indicators of high bureaucratic neutrality level include the absence of SCAs’ support to non-incumbent or incumbent regent candidates on social media as well as the non-response of SCAs to the request of incumbent regent candidates‘ campaign team to perform actions that may benefit incumbent regent candidates. Meanwhile, indicators of low bureaucratic neutrality level include the preservation of neutrality upon discovering other SCA colleagues’ support to non-incumbent or incumbent regent candidates on social media and the preservation of no support to non-incumbent or incumbent regent candidates. These findings present an opportunity to realize a professional merit and bureaucracy system in Indonesia. This study offers recommendations of increased neutrality awareness campaigns among bureaucratic officials and the importance of encouraging SCAs to consistently remind colleagues who may violate the principle of neutrality. Enforcement of legal actions against violators of bureaucratic neutrality is also necessary as a deterrent effect for bureaucratic officials who are not committed to upholding bureaucratic neutrality.

Bureaucrats and Policies in Equilibrium Administrations

Abstract We develop a model of policy making with an endogenous bureaucracy. Parties choose platforms and ideologically differentiated citizens decide whether to enter the public sector, anticipating the platforms that they may be asked to implement. Bureaucrats prefer to work on policies closer to their ideal, and voters judge the performance of an administration taking both politicians’ and bureaucrats’ actions into account. The model provides an equilibrium framework to study the emergence of partisan or neutral bureaucracies and their consequences for government performance. It shows how bureaucratic partisanship can develop in modern civil service systems; why political polarization and bureaucratic partisanship reinforce each other; why bureaucratic neutrality is associated with competitive elections; and why partisanship lowers government efficiency and increases output fluctuations. Our results yield a number of policy implications regarding political appointments, public sector wages, seniority benefits, and recruiting measures that raise the intrinsic motivation of bureaucrats.

Understanding Sowan as a New Paternalistic Bureaucracy Pattern of Local Officials in Indonesia

This study aimed to examine the visit of bureaucratic officials to local head candidates who have been confirmed to win local elections, commonly known as sowan. The officials ignore the neutrality aspect of bureaucracy that should be strictly upheld. This phenomenon is explained by the concept of a new paternalistic bureaucracy. This study used a qualitative research method with a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), and documentation was utilized as data collection methods for this study. This study's interview and FGD participants include local officials with knowledge of the sowan phenomenon and general civil servants in Banyumas, Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Cilacap, and Kebumen. This study discovered that sowan in the perspective of bureaucracy signifies friendship, loyalty, approach, and negotiation. This research highlights the strength of paternalistic bureaucracy, which generally begins in the final phase of the democratic process of local elections. Conceptually, this study is useful to explain the sowan phenomenon concerning bureaucratic neutrality and democracy and provide practical insights on the importance of law enforcement to violators of bureaucratic neutrality. This study explains the new paternalistic bureaucracy in the era of democracy in local governments in Indonesia. This study recommends the importance of law enforcement for violators of bureaucratic neutrality without discrimination, the improvement of the relationship between political and bureaucratic officials that reflect better partnerships in the recruitment of career officials, and the importance of bureaucrats who are committed to maintaining the principle of merit in the selection of local officials.

Analisis #JagaASN Sebagai Media Kampanye di Indonesia pada Pemilihan Kepala Daerah Tahun 2020

The purpose of this article is to see how effective the campaign model carried out by the State Civil Apparatus Commission is, especially with the #JagaASN jargon. The government through the State Civil Apparatus Commission has launched a bureaucratic neutrality campaign through social media. This is done considering the implementation of regional head elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this campaign also hopes to reduce the number of ASN neutrality cases in Indonesia. So, with this campaign, it is hoped that the government can provide quality services and realize regional head elections with integrity. This study uses qualitative research methods, using several research tools. The research tools used are Nvivo and VOSviewer. Based on the results of the study, the case of ASN neutrality in Indonesia, especially in the 2020 regional head election, is still quite high. Where this can be seen based on data from the State Civil Apparatus Commission that violations in the 2020 regional head elections are quite high with several cases as many as 864 ASN reported, while for 635 ASN violating and receiving KASN recommendations to be followed up, for ASN who have sanctioned by the staffing officer of 500 ASN. In addition, based on the processed results of NVivo 12+, it was also found that 82% of ASN were declared to be in the category of bureaucratic/ASN neutrality violations. The details are that 18% of ASN became a candidate pair's success team, 9% used state facilities, 31% participated in activities and sided with one of the candidates, and the last 21% ASN participated in the candidate pair's campaign.

Analysis of Strengthening Bureaucracy Neutrality Policy Implementation in the Local Elections (A Study in North Sumatera)

The issue of bureaucratic neutrality is a serious problem that continues to recur in implementing local elections (Pilkada) in Indonesia. Reflecting on what happened in the 2015 and 2017 North Sumatra Simultaneous Pilkada, this study aims to revive bureaucratic and political relations. Public services. This study uses a qualitative approach with data obtained through in-depth interviews with bureaucratic apparatus in the local government, The North Sumatera Election Provincial Commission (KPUD), The North Sumatera Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), Independent Monitoring Institutions, Lecturer of Public Administration Universitas Sumatera Utara, observation and documentation. The results of this study emphasize the importance of State Civil Apparatus (ASN) to return to neutrality in increasing public trust in the bureaucracy. The results of this study emphasize the importance of ASN to return to neutrality in improving public confidence trust in the bureaucracy. This article argues for collaborative supervision conducted by various elements of government and society as an alternative strategic step to maintain the neutrality of State Civil Apparatus.

Warning signal: Political trust, typhoons and the myth of the ‘Li's field’ in Hong Kong

AbstractThis article examines the discourse of ‘Li's Field’ in Hong Kong, named after tycoon Li Ka‐shing and used to satirically denounce the government‐business political nexus. The discourse challenges the apparent reluctance of the weather agency to decide that a typhoon is strong enough to warrant a city‐wide suspension of business activities, which would obviously be detrimental to capitalist interests. In comparison to the earlier period characterised by political trust, institutional and political factors in recent decades have intensified the impression of government‐business collusion and the erosion of political trust. Li's Field is a case illustrating how political distrust can spill over into bureaucracy, challenging the traditions of bureaucratic neutrality and meritocratic and scientific policymaking. This article provides an analysis of the ‘field’ with primary interview data, media discourse analysis and secondary data. This study contributes by exploring political trust in politicians and bureaucrats, and how the former spills over into the latter.

Bureaucratic Politicization, Partisan Attachments, and the Limits of Public Agency Legitimacy: The Venezuelan Armed Forces under Chavismo

Which factors determine support for the armed forces? What is the effect of agency politicization on confidence? Existing studies, which draw largely from bureaucratically neutral militaries, find that interpersonal trust and demographic variables play significant roles in determining public confidence in the armed forces. I argue that this is different for a politicized agency. A loss of bureaucratic neutrality activates voters’ partisan attachments, inducing individuals to judge the agency on the basis of their ties to the governing party or leader. Using survey data from Venezuela, I show that government evaluation has a salient and bifurcated effect on respondents’ perceptions of their armed forces. Respondents sympathetic to the governing leader are more likely to have a favorable view of the military while those identifying as opposition are more likely to have a negative view. The results suggest that politicization of public agencies may impose an upper limit on public support regardless of institutional performance, undermine their representativeness and legitimacy, and weaken their mandates.

The Myth of Bureaucratic Neutrality: Institutionalized Inequity in Local Government Hiring

As a field, we often relate merit and neutrality to the technical skills needed to be the “best” candidate for a job, but that was not necessarily what civil service reformers had in mind. The civil service system was meant to replace widespread political patronage, but the myth around the origins of the civil service system masked inequalities built into early testing requirements and institutionalized racial inequities in hiring practices. In this article, we argue the founding myth of bureaucratic neutrality was so powerful that it continues to reverberate in our field. We trace the current reverberations of the myth of neutrality through modern hiring practices and the contemporary legal landscape. By doing this, we present a systematic review of this rationalized myth in public employment, using an institutionalism framework. As the myth of bureaucratic neutrality continues to permeate decision-making, policy creation, and implementation, it will continue to institutionalize inequity within the field.

“Institutional Conversion of Japan’s National Personnel Authority: How Indigenous Forces Have Reshaped a U.S. Occupation-imposed Bureaucratic Institution”

The National Personnel Authority (NPA), Jinjiin in Japanese, was an unwelcome gift from the U.S. occupation ruler. It was fundamentally alien to Japanese bureaucratic traditions. It was a U.S.-style independent agency and aimed to remake the Japanese bureaucracy on the American model. This article analyzes the NPA’s survival in the post-occupation era from the perspective of historical institutionalism. It argues that the NPA has been successful because of institutional conversion in indigenizing itself. Soon after Japan’s recovery of independence in April 1952, the NPA abandoned its original mission of Americanization. Instead, it repositioned itself as the promoter of harmonious industrial relations in the public sector to contribute to promotion of Japan’s high-growth economy. Moreover, with the end of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s hegemony in the 1990s, the NPA has reactivated the function of safeguarding the bureaucracy’s partisan neutrality. This development represents the paradox of foreign-imposed institutions because the NPA ignored its responsibility for protecting bureaucratic neutrality for many years under the LDP’s monopoly of power.

Public servants, anonymity, and political activity online: bureaucratic neutrality in peril?

Various actors have recently expressed concern that by threatening anonymity, social media places the bureaucracy’s neutrality in jeopardy. Yet, empirically, little is known about the online political activities of public servants. Drawing upon the public service motivation literature, this article develops contrasting hypotheses between public sector employment and online political activity. Testing hypotheses with survey data from Canada, the results show that unionized public sector employment reduces the probability of being politically active online. As social media continues to change the nature of governance, the results suggest that anonymity and neutrality remain important professional norms within the Westminster administrative tradition, and are reflected in the online political activities of public sector employees in Canada. Points for practitioners • Due to its visibility and permanency, public servants’ political activity on social media potentially threatens their reputation as politically impartial officials. • Some governments and public sector unions have thus voiced messages of caution to administrative personnel about the dangers of being politically active online. • Survey data from Canada suggest that these messages have worked. • Unionized public sector employment reduces the probability of being politically active online but does not reduce the probability of being active in traditional “offline” political activities.

EFEKTIVITAS BIROKRASI PEMERINTAHAN SEBAGAI LEGALITAS PEMBANGUNAN DEMOKRASI

The bureaucracy exists to bridge the aspects of politics, power and the public interest against the control of the Government in carrying out policies that have direct access with the people. The bureaucracy that has a bad image for the face of Government has always been a discussion of materials to take sides in realizing the reform of the bureaucracy in Indonesia. Bureaucratic reform is expected in an effort to consolidate democracy, where the holder of a democracy can be felt by the people literally. The bureaucracy that is not neutrality affects the joints in the life of the nation and the State, because of its success in bureaucratic neutrality will be legality as the main element in a democratic development. Democratic development will according, if the existence of the effectiveness and efficiency of the bureaucracy that seems to threaten against the mechanisms of making all the decisions.

Bureaucratic Role Perceptions and Gender Mainstreaming in Canada

Since the mid‐1990s, governments have adopted gender mainstreaming (GM) as a strategy for achieving gender equality and improving women's social, economic and political conditions. Yet, studies indicate that GM continues to be unevenly implemented, both within and across countries. To explain this outcome, this paper focuses on the local implementers of GM — the gender focal points — and how they understand GM and interpret it in their everyday work. Drawing upon interviews with gender focal points in the Canadian public service, we explore how bureaucratic role perceptions shape how these local actors understand GM and how they navigate the complex terrain between bureaucratic neutrality and the equality agenda of gender mainstreaming. Our exploratory study shows no common understanding among our interviewees, revealing how the meaning of gender mainstreaming varies depending on whether the public servant views himself or herself as policy analyst, policy advisor or policy advocate. Based on these insights, we conclude with suggestions for future research on gender mainstreaming.