It's A Matter of Perspective: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Civil Servants’ Appraisal and Coping with Negative Civil Servant Stereotypes

Negative civil servant stereotypes are often described as problematic in public administration research. In this study, we investigate municipal employees’ own ideas on whether and how these stereotypes form a problem for public sector work and public services. Using semi-structured interviewing and reflexive thematic analysis and building on psychological literature on appraisal and coping with stereotypes, we identify two themes. First, respondents use different perspectives to understand and explain the stereotypes: They view stereotypes as (1) undeserved and untrue, (2) inevitable and part of the work, (3) understandable misunderstandings, and/or (4) reflections of truth. While these external attributions help respondents cope with the negative stereotypes, they also come with blind spots that could affect their work. Second, respondents think the stereotypes have a bigger impact on the citizen-government relationship, trust, and citizen-state interactions than on civil servants themselves. We discuss the implications for service delivery in the public sector and directions for future research.