This paper examines the effects of increased bureaucratic discretion in public procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile, when the government relaxed restrictions on direct deals and expanded discretionary authority for small contracts. While greater discretion can lower administrative...

Identifying what motivates public servants and how those motives vary across agencies is essential for both theory and practice, yet most existing "types of bureaucrats" remain untested against real workforces. Drawing on reputation theory, which posits that external audiences' beliefs shape who...

We investigate the determinants of states' policy capacity, defined as the ability of states to craft effective policies. Our model shows that the interaction between politicians' implementation decisions and bureaucrats' motivation to design effective policies can lead to the coexistence of...