Illiberal bureaucrats? A comparative study of illiberal attitudes among public and private workers in Europe
利用2019年欧洲选举研究数据，比较28国公务员与私营部门员工的不自由态度，发现两者程度相似，且受国家层面差异影响。
Although research on illiberal threats to public administration is growing, limited attention has been given to how illiberalism manifests in the attitudes of civil servants. This article addresses this gap by focusing on whether public workers exhibit illiberal attitudes to a greater or lesser extent compared to their counterparts in the private sector, and how these attitudes are shaped by the macro-political context. Using data from the 2019 European Election Study across 28 European countries, the results reveal attitudinal isomorphism. Civil servants display illiberal attitudes to a similar degree as private sector workers, accounting for variation in illiberalism at the country level. These findings hold important implications for the study of public administration and for efforts aimed at curbing the rise of illiberalism within public institutions.