Temporary partisans, tagged officers or impartial professionals: Moving between ministerial offices and departments

There are increasing concerns that the line between political and public service roles is becoming blurred, and that political advisers may be politicizing the work of public servants. Underlying this is the fundamental value conflict between responsiveness and impartiality and the challenge of balancing neutral competence and responsive competence in government. In Australia and Canada the norm of impartiality is challenged by the movement of staff between partisan ministers' offices and the public service. This is a case study comparison of how the risks posed by these transitions are managed through institutional rules and practices. This study of rule-building by two countries with similar political institutions and shared traditions demonstrates the critical role played by rules which regulate activity between two organizations with opposed values. It finds differences of approach and attention in Canada and Australia and provides a lens through which to explore the contested boundaries of impartialityThis research was supported under the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects funding scheme (project DP150104464)