Populist, illiberal, or outright autocratic movements threaten democracies worldwide, particularly when such extreme political forces gain control of executive power. For public administration illiberal backsliders in government pose a dilemma. Trained on instrumental values and expected to implement neutrally the political choices of their elected superiors, bureaucrats lack orientation of how to act in situations when obeying their own government may mean becoming an accomplice to democratic regression. Against this background, this article maps the dubious demands of backsliders in government as well as the potential reactions of bureaucrats to them. Public administration thinking is subsequently examined with a view to showing how administrative resistance to democratic backsliding could be normatively justified. Finally, the article provides practical recommendations to enhance the resilience of democratic public administration in the face of illiberal challenges.

中文翻译：

---

对民主倒退的行政反应：官僚抵抗什么时候是合理的？

民粹主义、反自由主义或彻底的独裁运动威胁着全世界的民主国家，特别是当这些极端政治势力控制了行政权力时。对于公共行政部门来说，政府中不自由的倒退者造成了两难的境地。官僚们受过工具性价值观的训练，并期望中立地执行当选上级的政治选择，当服从自己的政府可能意味着成为民主倒退的帮凶时，官僚们缺乏如何行动的指导。在此背景下，本文描绘了政府中倒退者的可疑要求以及官僚对这些要求的潜在反应。随后对公共行政思想进行了审查，以表明如何在规范上证明对民主倒退的行政抵制是合理的。最后，本文提供了切实可行的建议，以增强民主公共行政在面对非自由挑战时的复原力。