Populist, illiberal, or outright autocratic movements threaten democracies worldwide, particularly when such extreme political forces gain control of executive power. For public administration illiberal backsliders in government pose a dilemma. Trained on instrumental values and expected to implement neutrally the political choices of their elected superiors, bureaucrats lack orientation of how to act in situations when obeying their own government may mean becoming an accomplice to democratic regression. Against this background, this article maps the dubious demands of backsliders in government as well as the potential reactions of bureaucrats to them. Public administration thinking is subsequently examined with a view to showing how administrative resistance to democratic backsliding could be normatively justified. Finally, the article provides practical recommendations to enhance the resilience of democratic public administration in the face of illiberal challenges.

中文翻译：

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行政部门对民主倒退的回应：官僚主义的抵制何时是合理的？


民粹主义、反自由主义或彻头彻尾的专制运动威胁着全世界的民主国家，尤其是当这种极端政治力量控制了行政权力时。对于公共管理来说，政府中的不自由倒退者构成了两难境地。官僚们接受了工具性价值观的训练，并被期望中立地执行他们当选的上级的政治选择，但他们缺乏在服从自己的政府可能意味着成为民主倒退的帮凶的情况下如何行动的指导。在这种背景下，本文描绘了政府中倒退者的可疑要求以及官僚对这些要求的潜在反应。随后对公共管理思想进行了研究，以表明如何规范地证明对民主倒退的行政抵制是合理的。最后，本文提供了实用的建议，以增强民主公共行政在面对非自由挑战时的弹性。