This study investigates citizens' attitudes toward technocracy across nine European democracies by analyzing three dimensions—expertise reliance, elitism perception, and anti-politics sentiment—and identifying distinct profiles (technocratic, populist, party-democratic) using latent class analysis. Results reveal that while technocratic attitudes are widespread, they differ significantly from both populism and mainstream party democracy.
Key findings show:
• Pervasive technocratic inclinations among citizens
• Distinct yet overlapping ideologies across the three profiles
• Demographic factors linked to different governance preferences
These results demonstrate citizens' growing preference for expertise-driven systems while still maintaining connections to traditional party democracy. The "this means that" style highlights how citizen demand for professional knowledge shapes contemporary political choices.
đź’ˇ Data & Methods: Latent class analysis on nine European democracies
🔍 Key Findings: Three distinct profiles; overlaps between ideologies; demographic correlates
đź“Ś Why It Matters: Illuminates the relationship between expert preferences and alternative governance models
| People Haven't Had Enough of Experts: Technocratic Attitudes Among Citizens in Nine European Democracies was authored by Eri Bertsou and Daniele Caramani. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2022. |
