Pragmatic Bureaucracy for Administrative Resilience

In times of growing complexity and uncertainty, a strong focus on planning, box-ticking, and rule-following is an understandable way of trying to “do the right thing.” But it is also a cause for concern, what is “right” under normal circumstances may well turn out to be counterproductive in extraordinary situations.

About the project

The tradition of planning and adhering to established structures and processes certainly has its merits, but it can also result in administrative rigidity and inertia that may pose a direct threat to the resilience of our society. This applies both to handling everyday complexity and, even more so, to responding to unexpected and extraordinary events that demand rapid adaptation.

This project asks a critical question: How resilient are the support functions within Swedish public administration? That is, how strong is their judgment, courage, and capacity to adapt rules, methods, and systems when needed? Will we be supported by enabling controllers, legal experts, IT professionals, and HR specialists in times of uncertainty and crisis, when we need them the most? Or will we face devastating inaction or rigid adherence to rules?

Research team