Bureaucratic politicisation: the effects of the blurring of lines between politicians and senior civil servants on policy-making in the Netherlands. Webinar by Alexandre Belloir

The lines between politicians and bureaucrats are becoming increasingly blurred. Scholars point toward the turbulent political climate we are currently living in, with factors such as the rise of populism, political-party polarisation and a 24/7 media culture being identified as the culprits. But what are the consequences of this blurring of lines on the quality of governance of our democratic systems? To answer this question, in this presentation we first delve into the notion of bureaucratic politicisation by examining the means in which the separation between politicians – in particular ministers – and senior civil servants is becoming less and less clear-cut. We then unwrap the effects that bureaucratic politicisation can have on decision and policy-making, by examining how coordination mechanisms at the summit of the Dutch executive have been warped over the past years.

Affiliation

Alexandre Belloir (MA) is a PhD student in Public Administration at the University of Groningen’s Campus Fryslân. His current research focuses upon bureaucratic politicisation and its impacts upon policy and decision-making within the executive.

Alex moved from France to Utrecht in 2014 to pursue a Master’s Degrees in Criminology. With experience investigating illicit markets, the University of Groningen's Faculty of Law recruited him as a Junior Researcher in 2018 to examine unlawful practices in the Dutch rental housing market. He then began his PhD in 2019.