Personality and Public Administration: Policymaker Tolerance of Administrative Burdens in Welfare Services

While related fields have turned to personality understand human behavior, we know relatively little about its role and impact in public administration. We review how has been studied administration offer an empirical test of it relates policymaker attitudes administrative arrangements. Using the “Big Five” framework a sample elected politicians, conduct two studies showing is associated with tolerance burdens that social welfare recipients experience. Politicians high conscientiousness are more tolerant burdens, suggesting they expect similar attention detail from others. Conversely, politicians who score higher on trait openness experience less implying greater empathy toward others reduces burden tolerance. These relationships hold even after controlling for political ideology, standard explanation programs.