Bureaucratic Responses to Antibureaucratic Administrations

Abstract

At present we have no clear understanding of if and how bureaucrats respond to the election of antibureaucratic presidents such as Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan. This article goes beyond existing speculation and anecdote by developing a general model of bureaucratic responses to dissatisfaction and applying that model to the problem of antibureaucratic administration transition. Hypotheses developed from the model are tested with data from the 1979 and 1980 Federal Employee Attitude Surveys. In general, the prospect of antibureaucratic constraints expected with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan led to a number of perverse responses from bureaucrats.