Politicized Meritocracy: Partisan and Racial Selection in US City Bureaucracy

• In Event: The Political Economy of Local Governments and Police Departments and Unions

Abstract

A rich body of research emphasizes the importance of a representative government for policymaking and public service provision. Yet, recent work on the composition of US bureaucracies reveals significant gaps in the descriptive representation of partisan and racial groups in the bureaucracy and their consequences for service delivery. What drives partisan and racial selection in professionalized bureaucracies? Focusing on selection in New York City's administration this project addresses the question in three steps. First, I use detailed administrative data on the characteristics of city employees, including their partisanship, race, and gender, to illustrate the representational gaps between local bureaucrats and their constituents. Second, I focus on the New York Police Department (NYPD) and unpack the dynamics of partisan and racial misrepresentation. I find that Republican and White employees are more likely to be hired, promoted, appointed to senior ranks, receive more departmental awards, and have longer tenure than non-White and Democratic officers. Third, I show that the murder of George Floyd substantially increased turnover at the NYPD and affected the racial and partisan composition of police on the margins. By delineating the complexities of selection in modern bureaucracies, this study provides new evidence about how independent, professional bureaucracies are politicized endogenously

Author

• Elisa Maria Wirsching, Princeton University