History
Bureaucratic Neutrality and Policy Implementation in Transitional Democracies
Quick fact
In many transitional democracies, the single strongest predictor of successful policy implementation is not the quality of the law, but the neutrality of the civil servants who carry it out — partisanship among bureaucrats often leads to policies being delayed, distorted, or blocked.
Why this is interesting
When a new government takes office, it inherits a bureaucracy that may not share its vision. But what happens if those officials quietly undermine every policy they are asked to implement?