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Contingent technocracy: bureaucratic independence in developing countries

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  • Teodoro, Manuel P.
  • Pitcher, M. Anne

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of formal bureaucratic independence under varying democratic conditions. Conventional accounts predict that greater formal independence of technocratic agencies facilitates policy implementation, but those claims rest on observations of industrialised, high-income countries that are also established democracies. On the basis of research in developing countries, we argue that the effects of agency independence depend on the political context in which the agency operates. Our empirical subjects are privatisation agencies and their efforts to privatise state-owned enterprises in Africa. We predict that greater independence leads to more thorough privatisation under authoritarian regimes, but that the effect of independence declines as a country becomes more democratic. Using an original data set, we examine the relationship between formal agency independence and privatisation in Africa from 1990 to 2007. Our results modify the conventional wisdom on bureaucratic independence and culminate in a more nuanced theory of “contingent technocracy”.

Suggested Citation

  • Teodoro, Manuel P. & Pitcher, M. Anne, 2017. "Contingent technocracy: bureaucratic independence in developing countries," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 37(4), pages 401-429, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jnlpup:v:37:y:2017:i:04:p:401-429_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Hebinck†, Paul & Smith, Lothar & Aliber, Michael, 2023. "Beyond technocracy: The role of the state in rural development in the Eastern Cape, South Africa," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    2. Beichen HUANG & Tianyang XI & Jiajun XU, 2020. "Contrôles et équilibres, leadership politique et autonomie bureaucratique : Constats au sujet des banques nationales de développement," Working Paper 6fb72d50-b8e9-40a3-9021-8, Agence française de développement.
    3. Beichen HUANG & Tianyang XI & Jiajun XU, 2020. "Checks and balance, Political Leadership, and Bureaucratic Autonomy: Evidence from National Development Banks," Working Paper 6fb72d50-b8e9-40a3-9021-8, Agence française de développement.
    4. Bruno Meyerhof Salama & Vicente P. Braga, 2023. "The case for private administration of deposit guarantee schemes," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(1), pages 51-65, March.

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