TY - JOUR
T1 - Mounting media pressure: Push and pull forces influencing agendas, resource allocation and decision-making in public bureaucracies
AU - Figenschou, Tine Ustad
AU - Karlsen, Rune
AU - Kolltveit, Kristoffer
AU - Schillemans, T.
PY - 2019/7/5
Y1 - 2019/7/5
N2 - Decision-making in public bureaucracies should be guided by rules and formal procedures, securing predictability, impartiality and fair decisions. Studies show that public bureaucracies are highly mediatised – but knowledge about media impact on political outcomes is scarce. In this article, we study if, how and why media affect agendas, resource allocation and case decisions within public bureaucracies. Empirically, we apply a mixed method approach to the case of Norway, utilising a comprehensive survey among civil servants in ministries and agencies, as well as in-depth interviews with civil servants and political leaders. The results clearly support the notion that media can influence agendas, resource allocation and decision-making in ministries and agencies. When media pressure and broad public support build up, action is particularly taken when the issues are deemed important by political actors, suggesting that both push and pull forces are involved when media influence public bureaucracies.
AB - Decision-making in public bureaucracies should be guided by rules and formal procedures, securing predictability, impartiality and fair decisions. Studies show that public bureaucracies are highly mediatised – but knowledge about media impact on political outcomes is scarce. In this article, we study if, how and why media affect agendas, resource allocation and case decisions within public bureaucracies. Empirically, we apply a mixed method approach to the case of Norway, utilising a comprehensive survey among civil servants in ministries and agencies, as well as in-depth interviews with civil servants and political leaders. The results clearly support the notion that media can influence agendas, resource allocation and decision-making in ministries and agencies. When media pressure and broad public support build up, action is particularly taken when the issues are deemed important by political actors, suggesting that both push and pull forces are involved when media influence public bureaucracies.
KW - civil servants
KW - mediatisation
KW - political outcomes
KW - public bureaucracies
KW - push and pull forces
U2 - 10.1177/0267323119861513
DO - 10.1177/0267323119861513
M3 - Article
SN - 0267-3231
VL - 34
SP - 377
EP - 394
JO - European Journal of Communication
JF - European Journal of Communication
IS - 4
ER -