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public administration

May 12, 2026

Wicked problems are not algorithmic puzzles

İbrahim Hatipoğlu Algorithms can help governments manage complexity. But they cannot settle disputes over fairness, dignity and responsibility. İbrahim Hatipoğlu argues that so-called 'wicked' policy problems require political judgement before technical optimisation Read more

September 30, 2025

Public administration reform in Brazil: still seeking the wrong suspects

Nayara F. Macedo de Medeiros Albrecht The Brazilian parliament recently resumed debates on a reform proposal for public administration. Nayara Albrecht argues that although the proposal claims to target privileges, it risks undermining the integrity of public administration. She suggests that the agenda should also address disparities within the public sector Read more

April 23, 2024

The niche of think tanks in closed advisory systems

Bert Fraussen How do think tanks establish a unique position in a saturated policy advisory landscape? Bert Fraussen and Valerie Pattyn show that Belgian think tanks set themselves apart from other actors by prioritising long-term, evidence-based policy advice. Aligned with the nation’s administrative tradition, they also adopt consensual strategies Read more

February 14, 2024

🔮 Populism and the public sector in Italy

Anna Longhini Anna Longhini argues that in the relationship between citizens and bureaucrats, we find the seeds of populist ideology, which characterises the former as the 'pure people' and the latter as the 'corrupt elite'. Italy is a useful case in point. There, attempts to reform the public sector have failed to stem the spread of populist ideology Read more

January 26, 2024

🔮 How populists damage governments

Mauricio I. Dussauge-Laguna Little by little, scholarship on populism and public policy and administration has shown that populists in government cause significant damage to government institutions and policy processes. Mauricio I. Dussauge-Laguna argues that Mexico’s experience under president López Obrador reinforces these findings and adds fresh (if discouraging) evidence to the argument Read more

January 23, 2023

🦋 Making the case for administrative democracy

Stephen P. Turner Stephen Turner argues that for democracy to prevail, we must transform the vague idea of 'the will of the people' into legal procedure. This issue is more important than ever in situations where bureaucracies, such as those of the United States, are suffocating democratic action Read more

May 31, 2022

♟️ Varieties of authoritarianism, and how they might be studied

Catherine Owen Catherine Owen argues that understanding how regime type influences public sector performance can illuminate varieties of ‘authoritarian public policy’ and the resilience of authoritarian states. To do so, she calls on the fields of public administration and comparative politics to work together Read more

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