147. Marina Nistotskaya on merit-based bureaucracies

In this episode of Kickback, host Elizabeth David-Barrett is joined by Marina Nistotskaya, Professor at the Department of Political Science and researcher at the Quality of Government Institute, University of Gothenburg. The conversation explores the role of merit-based recruitment in shaping effective and impartial bureaucracies. Marina discusses how hiring processes influence both competence and independence, and why this distinction is critical for resisting political interference and corruption. The discussion also considers the appropriate balance between political appointments and bureaucratic autonomy, highlighting current debates and trends across different countries. Finally, the episode looks at newer areas of research, including how ambiguity in laws and the outsourcing of state functions can affect decision-making and public service outcomes. Links to Marina's research: Futures for the Public Sector. Leuven University Press, 2025. Project MUSE Legal Clarity and Impartiality: A Global Experimental Study of Consistency in Bureaucratic Decision Making, Joakim Nilsson and Marina Nistotskaya, 2025: To the Short-Sighted Victor Belong the Spoils: Politics and Merit Adoption in Comparative Perspective, Victor Lapuente and Marina Nistotskaya, 2009: On mechanisms of meritocratic recruitment: competence and impartiality, Palina Kolvani and Marina Nistotskaya, 2025: Outsourcing, bureaucratic personnel quality and citizen satisfaction with public services, Carl Dahlström, Marina Nistotskaya, and Maria Tyrberg, 2018:

You can listen to 147. Marina Nistotskaya on merit-based bureaucracies online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

147. Marina Nistotskaya on merit-based bureaucracies is an episode from KickBack - The Global Anticorruption Podcast by KickBack - The Global Anticorruption Podcast.

This episode is 00:36:40 long.

This episode was published on Mar 27, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from KickBack - The Global Anticorruption Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.