Don't hatch the messenger? On the desirability of restricting the political activity of bureaucrats

Abstract

Every country places restrictions on the political rights of government workers. This includes limitations on expressing political views and taking an active part in political campaigns. As such restrictions desirable? We present a formal welfare analysis of this question. Bureaucrats' political activities can be a valuable form of communication between voters and the government, but they may induce policy mistakes, and are susceptible to "noise" from partisan bureaucrats' innate desire for political expression. Signaling through bureaucrats is least effective when voters do no "trust" in this form of communication, or when politicians have strong control over bureaucrats. In these cases, banning political activities is general optimal.