The role of politics in the management of public administration : a study on the politicisation of the public service in Malta

Abstract

Politicisation of the public service is a fundamental feature in government executives in contemporary representative democracies. Elected officials in the government executive seek to adopt formal politicisation to ensure the political responsiveness of the bureaucracy. In Malta successive governments have sought to politicise the public service by adopting the spoils system, by appointing staff in the higher echelons of the Service. This was done either to consolidate political party allegiances or to make the public service machine more responsive and effective in delivering the agenda of the party holding government. The study examines formal politicisation of the Maltese public administration by focusing on the recruitment mechanisms used to appoint officials in the constitutional office of Permanent Secretary and in the Minister’s Secretariat. It also explores the relationship between the Minister and the Permanent Secretary as a consequence of the appointment of advisers in the Minister’s Secretariat. Semi-structured interviews and document research were used to investigate this phenomenon. The research reveals that the office of Permanent Secretary is held in high regard by elected officials, as long as this office does not cross the administrative boundaries set out by rules and regulations. The study also shows that developments have been made to better define the role of politics in the management of public administration and the relationship that permanent officials have with their ministers. Further studies need to be conducted to establish the impact that political recruitment and political appointees in the Minister’s Secretariat have on the performance of Maltese public administration, with the intention to control their numbers, delineate their conduct and define their functions.