1 Bureaucrats in the Headlights Question Times and Delegation to Bureaucrats

An elected politician’s decision to delegate authority to unelected bureaucrats is an inherently risky one. On the one hand, politicians who successfully delegate receive the benefit of bureaucrats ’ expertise on often complicated policy matters, with the result that the finally implemented policy is of a higher quality than if it had been solely designed by the politicians. This is good for the citizens and also good for the delegating politician – voters show their appreciation for good policy by re-electing politicians, not by increasing bureaucrats ’ salaries. Conversely, however, delegated authority can work against the delegating politician, either if the bureaucrats have preferences distinct from those of the delegating politician, o