{"title":"The public, the pandemic, and the public service: The case of Alberta","authors":"Jared J. Wesley, Savannah Ribeiro","doi":"10.1111/capa.12551","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Public servants play a vital role as intermediaries between policymakers and the public, offering expert advice on public policy and implementing ministerial decisions for the common good. Given that most Canadians interact with non-partisan, professional bureaucrats, public sentiment towards public servants becomes a crucial indicator of the health of the country's democracy. Trust levels serve as a barometer: high trust aligns with a well-functioning system, while low trust may challenge government legitimacy and its ability to fulfill democratic mandates. This study explores confidence levels in the public service in Alberta amid the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the April 2022 Viewpoint Alberta survey. Our findings illuminate diverse attitudes towards public servants amidst significant social, economic, and political upheaval.</p>","PeriodicalId":46145,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Public Administration-Administration Publique Du Canada","volume":"67 1","pages":"24-39"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/capa.12551","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Canadian Public Administration-Administration Publique Du Canada","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/capa.12551","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Public servants play a vital role as intermediaries between policymakers and the public, offering expert advice on public policy and implementing ministerial decisions for the common good. Given that most Canadians interact with non-partisan, professional bureaucrats, public sentiment towards public servants becomes a crucial indicator of the health of the country's democracy. Trust levels serve as a barometer: high trust aligns with a well-functioning system, while low trust may challenge government legitimacy and its ability to fulfill democratic mandates. This study explores confidence levels in the public service in Alberta amid the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the April 2022 Viewpoint Alberta survey. Our findings illuminate diverse attitudes towards public servants amidst significant social, economic, and political upheaval.
期刊介绍:
Canadian Public Administration/Administration publique du Canada is the refereed scholarly publication of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). It covers executive, legislative, judicial and quasi-judicial functions at all three levels of Canadian government. Published quarterly, the journal focuses mainly on Canadian issues but also welcomes manuscripts which compare Canadian public sector institutions and practices with those in other countries or examine issues in other countries or international organizations which are of interest to the public administration community in Canada.