Context Matters: Authoritarian Populism and Public Administration Practice, Teaching, and Research

• Author: Richard C. Box
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/02750740221119254
• Published date: 01 October 2022
• Date: 01 October 2022

ContextMatters:AuthoritarianPopulism

andPublicAdministrationPractice,

Teaching,andResearch

RichardC.Box

Abstract

ThepoliticalcontextofpublicadministrationintheUnitedStatesmaychangeconsiderablyinthenearfuture,awayfromlib-

eraldemocracyandtowardanintensificationoftheauthoritarianpopulismfamiliarfromtheTrumpera.Thepeopleandprac-

ticesofpublicadministrationexperiencetheeffectsofthesocietalcontextintheirdailyworkandthecourseoftheircareers,

sothat“contextmatters.”Thisessayusesthedescriptionofthecurrentcontextofthepublicsectoratthefederal,state,and

locallevels,andinacademia,toexaminethepotentialimpactsofacontextualshifttoauthoritarianpopulisminthenextsev-

eralyears.Theexaminationincludesdailypractice,theteachingofcontroversialconceptsinpublicuniversities,andconduct-

ingresearchonsalienttopicsinpublicadministration.

Keywords

anti-government,authoritarianpopulism,context,politicization,regression

Introduction:ContextandConsequences

Theworkofpeopleinpublicadministrationatalllevelsof

governmentisshaped,directlyorindirectly,bythepolitical

contextofthesurroundingsociety.Theuseofgovernment

toaltersocialorenvironmentalconditionsisacontested

conceptintheUnitedStates,soperiodicallythegrowthof

governmenttosolveperceivedproblemsiscounteredbya

periodofcritiqueandcontraction(Schlesinger,1986).

Untilrecently,decadesofneoliberalismmadeforarelatively

stablerelationshipbetweenthepublicandprivatesectors,as

neoliberalism’soperationalpartneringovernment,New

PublicManagement,focusedattentiononeconomiceffi-

ciencyand“runninggovernmentlikeabusiness”(Box,

1999).Theoreticalandtechnicalconceptsfromthisperiod

remainimportantinthefield,buteventsoverthepast

severalyearshaveintroducedanewlevelofturbulence

anduncertaintytothepublicsector.

ThecurrentnarrativeofdangertotheAmericanconstitu-

tionalorderseemsincreasinglycredible,asnewsarticles,

opinionpieces,theU.S.HouseofRepresentativesJanuary

6thselectcommitteeontheriotattheCapitol,investigative

reporting,andbook-lengthtreatmentsdiscussthepossible

endoftheU.S.experimentinlarge-nationrepresentative

democracy.Aperceivedsenseofdangertodemocracyis

foundinmanyothernationsaswell,thoughherewefocus

ontheUnitedStates,inwhichapartywithabaseofWhite

peopleandvotersinruralareasusesculturalfear,voter

suppression,manipulationofelections,andthreatsofvio-

lencetosecurepoliticalcontrolasaminorityofthe

population.

Thispoliticalcontextcanbecharacterizedasauthoritarian

populism,agoverningstyleintendedtorestorethe

White-dominantsocialstabilityofthe1950s(orthe1920s

or1890s,forthatmatter).Itinvolvesaspecificformof

eliteinfluence,renewedpublicreceptivitytoauthoritarian

leadership,dissolutionoffactsintosometimes-bizarre

fantasies,afadingsenseofpublicpurpose,andincreasing

anti-governmentsentiment.Policiesandpracticesthathave

accumulatedoverdecadestoaddressissuesofpublic

concernareweakenedorreversed,sothisstyleofgovernance

maybecharacterizedasregressive(Box,2008,2017).Atthe

timethisessaywaswritten,nationalpoliticswereexperienc-

ingahiatusofsortsfromtheimplementationoftheauthori-

tarianpopulistagenda,butthismaywellbetemporary.

Inthisessay,adescriptionofrecenteventsinthepublic

sectorisusedtoprojectpotentialeffectsonthepractice

andstudyofpublicadministrationifauthoritarianpopu-

lismismorefullydevelopedoverthenextseveralyears,

especiallyfollowingthepresidentialelectionof2024.

UniversityofNebraskaatOmaha,Omaha,NE,USA

CorrespondingAuthor:

RichardC.Box,SchoolofPublicAdministration,UniversityofNebraskaat

Omaha,6001DodgeSt.Omaha,NE68182,USA.

Email:boxrc3@gmail.com

Article

AmericanReviewofPublicAdministration

2022,Vol.52(7)475–485

©TheAuthor(s)2022

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DOI:10.1177/02750740221119254

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