6 - Technocratic-Populist Mayors and Public Administration in Three European Cities

Summary

Democratic backsliding and its effectsare gaining momentum within Public Administration research as populist parties start to implement their political agendas. Despite the increasing relevance of the topic, the local government is seldom mentioned. This gap is especially relevant as many populist parties govern at first and even only at the local level, playing a crucial role in shaping local politics, public services, and administrative reform. This chapter explores the strategies and the impact of technocratic populism on the public administration in three European cities. It investigates how technocratic populist parties and leaders in cities interact with bureaucracy and combine different strategies of democratic backsliding: centralizing of administrative structures, disciplining the bureaucracy, and controlling societal participation. It also examines the role of ICT tools and innovations within the populist strategies. The empirical analysis showed that technocratic populists employ, with varying success, strategies to transform public administration. However, there are also considerable differences among cases that point to heterogeneity within this populist category.