Seen but not partisan: Changing expectations of public servants in Westminster systems

Abstract

Much has been written about the changing role of unelected public servants in Westminster systems of government and their relationship with elected officials and the public. However, there are no studies comparing how these three groups perceive the role, and what they expect from public servants. This article provides the findings from three surveys of public servants, politicians and the public in Canada to assess how they view the role of the public servant and how this compares to different conceptions in the academic literature. The study finds that all three groups support the principles of ministerial responsibility and non-partisanship but do not believe that public servants should be anonymous and free from public scrutiny. This raises the question of whether some aspects of the traditional public servant role can be altered while keeping others in place and suggests that advocates for altering the role of the public servant will be most successful if they focus on certain aspects while preserving others. The principles of ministerial responsibility and public service non-partisanship are supported by the public, politicians, and public servants themselves. There is a desire among these three groups for public servants to become less anonymous, face more public scrutiny and engage more with external actors. The public and politicians’ expectations surrounding public servants’ political activities are still unclear, although a large majority of public servants believe they can be politically active outside of work.