Mapping bureaucratic overload: Dynamics and drivers in media coverage across three European countries

Lenz, Alexa; S einebach, Y es; Casula, Ma ia
A icle — Published Ve sion
Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in
media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies
Regula ion & Go e nance
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John Wiley & Sons
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Lenz, Alexa; S einebach, Y es; Casula, Ma ia (2024) : Mapping bu eauc a ic
o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies, Regula ion
& Go e nance, ISSN 1748-5991, John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d, Melbou ne, Vol. 19, Iss. 3, pp.
618-636,
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Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s
in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies
Alexa Lenz
LMU Munich, Geschwis e Scholl Ins i u e o Poli ical Science, Munich, Ge many
Zeppelin Uni e si y, F ied ichsha en, Ge many
Y es S einebach
Depa men o Poli ical Science, Uni e si y o Oslo, Oslo, No way
Ma ia Casula
Depa men o Poli ical and Social Sciences, Uni e si y o Bologna, Bologna, I aly
Abs ac
Bu eauc a ic o e bu dening has eme ged as an impo an heme in public policy and adminis a ion esea ch. The concep
signifies a s a e whe e public adminis a o s a e o e whelmed wi h mo e asks and esponsibili ies han hey can e ec i ely
handle. Resea che s a ibu e his phenomenon o se e al key ac o s, such as an inc easing assaul on he public sec o , a
g owing olume o policies o en o ce, and “ex e nal”shocks. These s udies con e ge on he pe cep ion ha he public sec o ’s
capaci y o e ec i ely implemen policies and o add ess socie al p oblems is p og essi ely diminishing. Howe e , he e is a
clea knowledge gap ega ding he b ead h, dynamics, and pe asi eness o his issue, as exis ing esea ch o en na ows i s
ocus on he implemen a ion o specific policies o policy sec o s. This pape add esses his esea ch gap by mapping he e-
quency o bu eauc a ic o e load epo s in newspape a icles om I aly, I eland, and Ge many, spanning wo decades om
2003 o 2022. In he second s ep, we desc ibe he d i e s o o e load ha we coded in a andom sample o a icles. Ou
esea ch e eals ha he o e bu dening o public adminis a ion is indeed an escala ing p oblem esul ing om an “explosi e”
cock ail o ex e nal and in e nal challenges ha simul aneously a ec public au ho i ies.
Keywo ds: adminis a i e capaci y, bu eauc a ic o e load, ex e nal shocks, media, policy g ow h.
1. In oduc ion
Policy s ocks a e apidly expanding ac oss na ions and sec o s. This su ge has been sc u inized om di e se ana-
ly ical angles, ea u ing concep s like “policy accumula ion”(Adam e al., 2019), “ ule g ow h”(Jakobsen &
Mo ensen, 2015), o “policy laye ing”(Daugbje g & Swinbank, 2016). This bu geoning policy landscape places
an inc easingly o e whelming wo kload on he au ho i ies esponsible o he execu ion and en o cemen o such
policies and consequen ly, b ings abou changes in he implemen a ion p ac ices and e ec i eness o public
au ho i ies. Many ac o s a e said o p opel his end. In e nally, adminis a i e sys ems su e om he educ-
ion o public finances, se ices, and s a , coupled wi h he ailu e o expand hese esou ces o mee inc easing
policy demands p opo ionally (Lobao e al., 2018; Lou enço, 2023; MacCa haigh e al., 2023). Ex e nally, c ises
such as he COVID-19 pandemic o he e ugee c isis ha e amplified p e-exis ing deficiencies wi hin he public
sec o (Ansell e al., 2021; Lenz & Eckha d, 2023).
When policy g ow h su passes he co esponding expansion o adminis a i e capaci ies, i can lead o a di ec
bu den on ac o s esponsible o implemen a ion. Bu eauc a ic o e load is hus unde s ood as “p og essi e deple-
ion o adminis a i e capaci ies when policy s ocks g ow as e han capaci ies”(Fe n
andez-i-Ma ín e al., 2023).
This leads o a si ua ion whe e implemen ing bodies, such as local adminis a ions, go e nmen al en i ies,
Co espondence: Alexa Lenz, LMU Munich, Geschwis e Scholl Ins i u e o Poli ical Science,
Oe ingens aße 67, 80583 Munich, Ge many. Email: [email p o ec ed].
Accep ed o publica ion 24 May 2024.
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d.
This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided
he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
Regula ion & Go e nance (2025) 19, 618–636 doi:10.1111/ ego.12606
egula o y agencies, and o he s, find hemsel es unable o implemen policies p ope ly and e ec i ely, esul ing
in an o e all decline in policy pe o mance (G a on e al., 2021; Knill e al., 2023; Limbe g e al., 2023). In he
end, we can an icipa e ha when hese ad e se e ec s o policy g ow h become salien , hey ha e he po en ial o
e ode ci izens’pe cep ions o go e nmen e ec i eness and ai ness (Hin e lei ne e al., 2023; No is, 2011).
Su p isingly, his link be ween policy g ow h, o e load, and public salience has no been comp ehensi ely
explo ed o da e. Exis ing esea ch o en limi s i s scope o examining specific policies o ocuses on specific pol-
icy sec o s, lea ing a oid in ou b oade unde s anding o he challenges and ade-o s induced by he sys em-
a ic expansion o policy s ocks and hei g owing complexi y (Sage & Go en, 2022). To sc u inize his link, his
pape add esses public salience o bu eauc a ic o e load in a compa a i e pe spec i e by asking how widesp ead
he p oblem o bu eauc a ic o e load is publicly pe cei ed, which ends can be obse ed o e ime, and which
d i e s a e associa ed wi h bu eauc a ic o e load in he public deba e.
We app oach hese ques ions desc ip i ely, aiming a sc u inizing he p e alence o media epo s on bu eau-
c a ic o e load in Eu opean newspape ou le s, which allows o a mo e comp ehensi e and dynamic iew o he
salience o o e bu dening in he public sphe e ac oss di e en con ex s and o e ime. Addi ionally, ou in es i-
ga ion explo es he d i e s ha a e mos asc ibed o he condi ion o bu eauc a ic o e load in he a icles. The
aim is o gain no only an idea o whe he o e load is epo ed bu also wha ype o d i e s o o e load a e
mos ly discussed by he media. Unde s anding he public ep esen a ion o wha d i es bu eauc a ic o e load is
impo an , as in e nal easons o o e load can exe a qui e di e en e ec on how o e load is pe cei ed by he
public compa ed wi h epo s o ex e nal d i e s.
We find ha he epo ing o bu eauc a ic o e load has subs an ially inc eased o e he las decades—despi e
accoun ing o changes in he o al numbe o a icles published. Acco ding o he newspape a icles examined,
his end is d i en by a combina ion o di e en ac o s, such as an inc easing numbe and complexi y o poli-
cies equi ing implemen a ion and cu s in adminis a i e capaci ies. In addi ion, we see ha he numbe o c ises
hi ing he public sec o has gained impo ance. Du ing he fi s 10 yea s o ou s udy pe iod (2003–2012), ex e -
nal c ises cons i u ed jus 10 pe cen o all ac o s men ioned in he con ex o bu eauc a ic o e load. In e es -
ingly, his figu e almos doubled in he subsequen decade, ising o 19 pe cen .
Ou findings con ibu e o he exis ing li e a u e in di e en ways. While bu eauc a ic o e load may seem a
plausible and in ui i e consequence o ule g ow h exceeding he a ailable capaci ies, i has ye o be sys ema i-
cally examined. Since se e al con ibu ions in his special issue build upon he challenges a ising om his mis-
ma ch (Haag e al., 2025; Zink e al., 2025), i is essen ial o es ablish a ounda ion o hese u he analyses by
documen ing he ex en o bu eauc a ic o e load o e ime and ac oss coun ies. The e o e, he pape shi s he
pe spec i e on bu eauc a ic o e load om he p edominan ocus on indi idual policies in exis ing esea ch o a
b oade examina ion o implemen a ion sho comings wi hin he b oade spec um o public adminis a ion.
Theo e ically, he pape ein o ces ecen insigh s ha adminis a i e sho comings a e no me ely a p oduc
o limi ed esou ces (Haag e al., 2025). Ra he , hey emana e om he dynamic in e play be ween he g ow h in
adminis a i e asks o implemen a ion and main enance on he one hand and he s agna ion o adminis a i e
capaci y on he o he . The findings also desc ibe ends in he saliency o bu eauc a ic o e load, which appea s o
be in ensi ying and becoming mo e p ominen o e ime. I is also a widesp ead phenomenon ha is no con-
fined o any pa icula policy domain o coun y. Ye , he occu ence o bu eauc a ic o e load di e s om one
con ex o he o he , and i can be d i en by ex e nal c isis e en s ha a e becoming inc easingly influen ial in
exace ba ing o e load.
The emainde o his a icle is s uc u ed as ollows: We begin wi h a sho o e iew o exis ing empi ical
assessmen s o bu eauc a ic o e bu dening (Sec ion 2). In he nex s ep, we discuss he easons o bu eauc a ic
o e bu dening, as men ioned in he li e a u e. In he ollowing Sec ion 4, we in oduce ou case selec ion and
measu emen app oach. He ea e , we u n o ou empi ical analysis and discuss ou empi ical obse a ions in
ligh o he heo e ical expec a ions. Sec ion 5concludes.
2. Bu eauc a ic o e load and i s exis ing empi ical assessmen
Bu eauc a ic o e load has consis en ly been a ocal poin in public policy and adminis a ion li e a u e, explo ed
om a ious angles and esea ch pe spec i es. In he li e a u e on s ee -le el bu eauc acy, and ed- ape in
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d. 619
Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies A. Lenz e al.
pa icula , o e load has been a cen al ac o (Bozeman, 2000; Go en, 2014; Hupe & Hill, 2007; Kau mann &
Tumme s, 2017; Lipsky, 2010). The li e a u e on s ee -le el bu eauc acy examines how on line adminis a o s
deal wi h and ope a e in a high-s ess en i onmen caused by sca ce esou ces, high ex e nal demand, and ed
ape (Da is & Pink-Ha pe , 2016; Lipsky, 2010). The e o e, esea ch has add essed di e en coping mechanisms
(Da ido i z & Cohen, 2022; Fowle , 2021; Liu e al., 2022; Tumme s e al., 2015), and indi idual mo i a ion
(Bakke , 2015; Shim e al., 2015) employed by s ee -le el bu eauc a s as s a egies o manage o e load. These
s a egies may ange om a ioning se ices, shi king esponsibili y, and au oma ing esponses, o simpli ying
complex issues (Tumme s e al., 2015). Howe e , he majo i y o his esea ch is ac o -cen e ed and ocuses on
he indi idual le el. I also does no accoun o changes in o e load o e ime o he p e alence o esul ing
implemen a ion defici s. These blind spo s a e p ima ily due o he ac ha mos schola ly con ibu ions on
s ee -le el bu eauc acies and coping p ac ices a e single case s udies based on quali a i e da a ga he ed ia pe -
sonal in e iews.
Red- ape li e a u e on he o he hand does accoun o he o ganiza ional le el and mos b oadly defines i as
pa hological o bu densome adminis a i e ules. I includes pe spec i es on he o ganiza ion, indi idual-le el
bu eauc a s, bu also on he clien s and egula es on he ecei ing end o public policy (Bozeman & Feeney, 2014;
B ewe e al., 2012; Kau mann e al., 2019; Linos & Riesch, 2020; Pandey, 2023; Pandey e al., 2007). I has been
s udied in he con ex s o o ganiza ional e ec i eness (Pandey e al., 2007), o o ganiza ional isk cul u e
(Bozeman & Kingsley, 1998). As ed ape is unde s ood as “ ules, egula ions, and p ocedu es ha emain in
o ce and en ail a compliance bu den o he o ganiza ion bu ha e no e ficacy o he ules’ unc ional objec ”
(Bozeman, 1993, p. 283), i he e o e nei he accoun s o he dimension o policy g ow h o implemen a ions
defici s.
In a simila ein, ule ecology (Bozeman, 2000; Kau mann & an Wi eloos uijn, 2018; an
Wi eloos uijn, 2003) also ocuses on he o ganiza ional le el, and mainly associa es ins i u ional d i e s wi h
endogenous g ow h dynamics. I unde sco es ha bu eauc a ic ule-making is an inhe en ly sel -e ol ing p ocess.
These g ow h dynamics a e mul i ace ed, encompassing he need o inc eased con ol and inc eased coo dina-
ion e o s o exis ing ules, which again mani es in he p oli e a ion o new ules. Addi ionally, he c ea ion o
new ules is also c ea ing new p oblems, ha mus be sol ed wi h u he ules (Kau mann & an
Wi eloos uijn, 2018; Ma ch e al., 2000; Van Wi eloos uijn & De Jong, 2008). In he absence o coun e -
balancing mechanisms, he esul would be an unchecked p oli e a ion o ules. Ne e heless, o ganiza ional
lea ning p ocesses ha e he po en ial o mi iga e his cascading de elopmen (Adam e al., 2017; Boone
e al., 2002). While he ule ecology li e a u e is examining he impac o policy g ow h on policy implemen a ion,
he ocus is confined o a heo e ical and analy ical pe spec i e cha ac e is ic o he sociology o law and
o ganiza ion.
Finally, implemen a ion esea ch has adi ionally cen e ed on indi idual policy analysis, emphasizing
policy-specific execu ion a he han he holis ic o ganiza ional pe spec i e o implemen a ion bodies dealing
wi h he en i e y o policy s ocks. This pe spec i e ails o conside in e dependencies ac oss policies and o ga-
niza ions ha accoun o he p e alence o implemen a ion defici s. In his ega d, he issue o bu eauc a ic
o e load has been la gely o e looked in implemen a ion s udies. While he majo i y o hese s udies do accoun
o he ole o adminis a i e capaci ies, hese a e ypically discussed as s a ic ac o , igno ing hei su ficiency
in ligh o policy g ow h; and a he mac o-le el unde es ima ing a ia ion (Bö zel, 2021; Knill e al., 2023;
Limbe g e al., 2023). Hence, he cu en discou se mainly add esses adminis a i e capaci ies as an aspec o
o ganiza ional design o e ec i e implemen a ion, a he han ecognizing and add essing he challenges o
bu eauc a ic o e load.
In con as , bu eauc a ic o e load a ises as a consequence o an expanding “gap”be ween he g ow h o poli-
cies and he a ailable adminis a i e capaci ies o e ec i e implemen a ion (Bozeman, 2000; Dasgup a &
Kapu , 2020; Hin e lei ne e al., 2023; Knill e al., 2023). Cha ac e is ic ac o s include he escala ing complexi y
o legal domains wi h o en ague implemen a ion guidelines, o inc easing wo kloads o e ime, d i en by he
apid pace o new legisla i e ini ia i es, and bu eauc a ic backlog. The apid influx o legisla i e changes esul s in
implemen a ion challenges in adminis a i e p ac ices, excessi e adminis a i e in e ac ions, edundan e iews,
and cons an al e a ions ha hinde a comp ehensi e o e iew. Consequen ly, implemen ing bodies s uggle o
execu e policies co ec ly and e ficien ly, leading o an o e all de e io a ion in policy pe o mance, o he selec i e
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d.620
A. Lenz e al. Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies
implemen a ion o policies, unde mining subs an i e imp o emen s (Adam e al., 2017; Limbe g e al., 2021;
Tumme s e al., 2015).
Gi en his gap in he li e a u e, only a ew no able excep ions s udy bu eauc a ic o e load empi ically.
Kaplane and S einebach (2023), who examined coping pa e ns using a quan i a i e da ase om o e 2000 en i-
onmen al inspec ion epo s published by he Ge man s a e o Baden-Wü embe g. They ound ha unde he
p essu e o a high wo kload, en i onmen al inspec o s end o p io i ize dealing wi h close o e mo e dis an
indus ial plan s. Likewise, Dasgup a and Kapu (2020), using a na ionwide su ey and ime-use dia ies om
local u al de elopmen o ficials in India, also p o ided subs an ial quan i a i e e idence. Thei findings sugges
ha public o ficials a e inc easingly o e bu dened and ha hose wi h ewe adminis a i e esou ces find i mo e
di ficul o success ully adminis e u al de elopmen p og ams.
In addi ion o hese s udies, esea che s ha e ecen ly begun o explo e o e load issues wi h ega d o sec o al
policy pe o mance. Fe n
andez-i-Ma ín e al. (2023), o ins ance, in es iga e whe he addi ional policies could
lead o a decline in en i onmen al quali y imp o emen . They find ha new policies, which impose mo e wo k-
load on he adminis a ion wi hou a co esponding inc ease in esou ces, can lead o o e all lowe le els o pol-
icy e ec i eness. F om his pe spec i e, bu eauc a ic o e load can be seen bo h as a p ocess bu also “ ipping
poin ”a e which he c ea ion o new policies does mo e ha m han good.
Despi e he aluable insigh gained om hese s udies, hey all bea a common sho coming: he ocus on dis-
inc , indi idual policies o policy a eas. While hese in es iga ions may unco e he ex en o o e load wi hin
specific sec o s, hey a e less equipped o unde s and he sys emic challenges a ising om adminis a i e o e load.
Such a b oade pe spec i e can—a leas in pa —be ound in he esea ch on implemen a ion and compliance in
he Eu opean Union (EU) con ex (Haag e al., 2023). Ea ly s udies in his con ex we e pa icula ly in e es ed
in whe he he na ional adminis a ion could keep pace wi h he inc easingly apid p og ess o in eg a ion and
he policies coming om he sup ana ional le el (Falkne e al., 2007; Knill, 2001).
To answe hese ques ions beyond indi idual EU policies, schola s ha e s a ed o assess he in ingemen p o-
cedu e acco ding o A icle 258 o he T ea y on he Func ioning o he Eu opean Union (Bö zel, 2021). These
in ingemen p ocedu es a e he cen al ins umen o he Eu opean Commission o en o ce hese ea ies agains
noncomplian membe s a es. The cen al aim o hese s udies is o ga he a be e unde s anding o he p e a-
lence o poo implemen a ion by compa ing he equency o in ingemen cases bo h ac oss di e en membe
s a es (Sedelmeie , 2008; Zhelyazko a & Yo dano a, 2015) and o e ime (Bö zel & Buzog
any, 2019). Howe e ,
as acknowledged in his s and o li e a u e, in ingemen cases a e me ely he “ ip o he icebe g”(Ha lapp &
Falkne , 2009, p. 292). In o he wo ds, he o al numbe o in ingemen p ocedu es agains membe s a es only
p o ides limi ed in o ma ion abou he ac ual implemen a ion defici s a he na ional le el.
This limi a ion pa ly a ises om he Commission’s eliance on in o ma ion om membe s a es. Fo exam-
ple, Bö zel and Buzog
any (2019) demons a e ha he as majo i y o in ingemen cases a e igge ed because
membe s a es ei he ail o epo implemen a ion o he Commission o hey ace complain s om na ional
opposi ion pa ies, among o he easons. Addi ionally, he ini ia ion o hese p oceedings is s ongly influenced
by poli ical conside a ions, and o e ime, he Commission has subs an ially shi ed i s app oach owa d membe
s a es. Pi che (2023) demons a es ha he Commission shi ed om a no ma i e app oach based on manage-
men ools in he 1980s and 1990s o a mo e egula i e app oach wi h enhanced en o cemen ac i i ies. In o he
wo ds, i is di ficul o de e mine whe he po en ial inc eases in in ingemen cases a e due o s ic e en o ce-
men p ac ices o (indeed) an inc easing numbe o policy maladminis a ion and -implemen a ion. Conse-
quen ly, as Adam and Knill (2018) unde line, “i is ha dly possible o in e he shape, size, and change o he
emainde o he icebe g— o con inue he me apho — ha is hidden benea h he su ace, based on he me e
obse a ion o he ip”(p. 230).
In conclusion, he issue o bu eauc a ic o e load has been ecognized and examined om di e se esea ch
pe spec i es. Howe e , exis ing empi ical s udies o en all sho in hei scope, ending o concen a e on indi id-
ual policies o specific a eas, o using indica o s ha only gi e a c ude app oxima ion o he di ficul ies inhe en
in a coun y’s adminis a i e sys em. Owing o hese cha ac e is ics o cu en s udies, i is challenging o de e -
mine (i) he ac ual p e alence o bu eauc a ic o e load, ha is, whe he i is (indeed) a widesp ead phenomenon
o one limi ed o ce ain a eas, and (ii) whe he i indeed exace ba es o e ime, as sugges ed by exis ing schola ly
wo k on he opic.
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d. 621
Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies A. Lenz e al.

3. D i e s o bu eauc a ic o e load
A e ha ing es ablished he gap in he li e a u e as o he p e alence and inc ease in bu eauc a ic o e load, we
nex wan o b ing oge he he a ious d i e s o o e load ha ha e been discussed in p e ious esea ch. To
achie e his, we ha e s uc u ed he mos p ominen causes along wo dis inc dimensions: an in e nal dimension
and an ex e nal dimension. By sepa a ing he d i e s along hese dimensions, we can disce n whe he hey a e a
consequence o he inhe en wo kings o he poli ico-adminis a i e sys em (in e nal) o a esul o ex e nal ac-
o s beyond he con ol o adminis a i e en i ies. This di e en ia ion is c ucial in unde s anding he implica ions
o he phenomenon, as i allows us o asce ain accoun abili y and de e mine whe he he go e nmen can be
held esponsible o ce ain challenges o i hey a e influenced by ex e nal ci cums ances beyond hei con ol
(James, 2011; Pia ak e al., 2017; Rudolph, 2003).
3.1. In e nal d i e s o o e load
The fi s d i e ela es o policy g ow h. As explained abo e, we expec he cons an g ow h in he numbe and
complexi y o public policies o be a cen al d i e o adminis a i e o e load. Suppo ed by a as heo e ical
and empi ical co e o li e a u e, policy g ow h is acknowledged as a cu en end ac oss policy sec o s and demo-
c a ic sys ems (Adam e al., 2017,2019; Kau mann & an Wi eloos uijn, 2018; Pe e s e al., 2011; Van
Wi eloos uijn & De Jong, 2008). Public adminis a ions con inually ecei e new asks and a eas o esponsibili y
om na ional and sup ana ional decision-make s ha need o be examined, managed, and implemen ed. These
amendmen s and policy g ow h a e an impo an mechanism o mee ing socie al demands, as he needs o mod-
e n and di e se socie ies a e changing. They migh also be an exp ession o pa y ideology and a po en ial es-
haping o he poli ical agenda (Jakobsen & Mo ensen, 2015).
The e ec s o policy g ow h on adminis a i e o e bu dening can be unde s ood h ough di e en mecha-
nisms. Fi s , he con inuous expansion, modifica ion, and adop ion o policies do no coincide wi h inc eased
adminis a i e capaci ies. Ra he , hey occu alongside s agnan o dec easing public sec o s, as desc ibed ea lie .
This ein o ces he significance o he a o emen ioned a gumen . Addi ionally, he pe pe ual expansion o policies
con ibu es o a con inuous inc ease in he complexi y o he policy po olio. The g owing body o egula ions
hinde s e idence-based policymaking, as adding new policy elemen s esul s in inc easingly in ica e policy mixes
(Adam e al., 2019,2022).
Nex o changes in he wo kload, he e can also be changes in he capaci ies. Re enchmen o aus e i y
add esses he issue o lacking adminis a i e capaci ies. While su ficien adminis a i e capaci y cons i u es he
basis o he e ec i e applica ion, implemen a ion, and en o cemen o policy measu es (Adam e al., 2022;
Limbe g e al., 2021; Zhao, 2023), many Wes e n democ acies display pa e ns o e enchmen and a declining
o s agna ing numbe o public se ice employees o e he pas decades (Lobao e al., 2018). Fo ins ance, due o
fiscal cons ain s, go e nmen s ha e implemen ed cos -sa ing measu es and p i a iza ion in he public sec o ,
aiming o alle ia e p essu es on o he sec o s o he economy. The wi hd awal o finance and se ices as well as
he downsizing o s a hus play a c ucial ole in bu eauc a ic o e bu dening (Lobao e al., 2018; Raudla
e al., 2015; Vaughan-Whi ehead, 2013).
These cons ain s se e ely limi he a ailabili y o esou ces equi ed o hese agencies o ulfil hei obliga-
ions and mee g owing demands. Consequen ly, public agencies find hemsel es ope a ing wi h educed e ec-
i eness, leading o delayed se ice deli e y and an impai ed capaci y o e ec i ely ackle complex p oblems and
challenges (Ba be a e al., 2021; Fe y & Mu phy, 2018). Fu he mo e, he wi hd awal o s a , whe he h ough
wo k o ce educ ions o a i ion, can significan ly exace ba e bu eauc a ic o e bu dening. Wi h educed s a fing
le els, he emaining pe sonnel a e bu dened wi h inc eased wo kloads. This si ua ion can c ea e immense s ess,
con ibu e o bu nou , and diminish s a mo ale, u he impeding he quali y and e ficiency o adminis a i e
p ocesses. The cumula i e e ec o hese ac o s adds o he al eady s ained capaci y o public agencies o ulfil
hei esponsibili ies and e ec i ely se e he needs o he communi y (Es e e e al., 2017; Shim e al., 2015).
The las , “ esidual”c i ique on bu eauc acy e ec i eness is s ongly associa ed wi h bu eauc a ic misconduc ,
laziness, o slack. Schola ly wo k discusses hese conce ns, especially slack, as a ca alys o o ganiza ional ine fi-
ciency ha leads o de imen al ou comes o o ganiza ional pe o mance (Wei, 2022). This a gumen ,
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d.622
A. Lenz e al. Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies
pa icula ly p ominen in he p incipal-agen heo y li e a u e, p esupposes ha an adminis a ion, i no app o-
p ia ely o e seen, will inhe en ly g a i a e owa d ine ficiency and mismanagemen (Jankauskas e al., 2024).
3.2. Ex e nal d i e s o o e load: Exogenous shocks and c ises
Rega ding he ex e nal d i e s o o e load, he inc easing equency and magni ude o exogenous c ises con ib-
u e o he exace ba ion o adminis a i e o e bu dening (Knill & S einebach, 2022; Raudla e al., 2015;
Zhao, 2023). C ises impose collec i e s ess on adminis a i e sys ems, as hey challenge es ablished o ganiza-
ional ou ines and necessi a e managemen and coo dina ion skills, as well as flexibili y. Mo eo e , c ises o en
e eal p oblems and ulne abili ies wi hin bu eauc acies (Ansell e al., 2010; Eckha d e al., 2021; Lenz, 2024).
Fo ins ance, du ing ecen c isis e en s, adminis a i e bodies we e aced wi h managing exponen ially inc easing
in ec ion a es, necessi a ing he acking and moni o ing o cases, o handling he ecep ion, egis a ion, and
assis ance o a significan influx o e ugees. The shee escala ion in wo kload and he o e whelming olume o
cases subs an ially con ibu ed o adminis a i e o e bu dening (Boe sma e al., 2019; Kuhlmann e al., 2021;
Lenz, 2023). Simul aneously, public adminis a ions a e expec ed o con inue o e ec i ely ulfill ou ine asks,
such as p ocessing social suppo eques s and managing sho - ime wo k allowances (Schus e e al., 2020). Pa -
icula ly du ing imes o c isis, howe e , hese allowances may expe ience a significan su ge in demand, eaching
unp eceden ed olumes and placing an addi ional s ain on adminis a i e sys ems.
In addi ion o hese di ec impac s o c ises on adminis a i e o e bu dening, i is impo an o also conside
he po en ial ad e se consequences o he c isis on e enchmen and policy g ow h (Ba be a e al., 2021;Di
Mascio & Na alini, 2015; Knill & S einebach, 2022). To deal wi h c isis-induced o e bu dening, go e nmen s
o en eso o cos -cu ing measu es, which can esul in educ ions in public se ices, layo s, and budge a y
cons ain s (Ansell e al., 2010; Ba be a e al., 2021; Su e & Smi h, 2017). P e ious esea ch on he financial c i-
ses, he COVID-19 pandemic, and he in asion o Uk aine, confi m ha c ises igge significan in expendi u e,
employmen , and wages (Ba be a e al., 2017; Es e e e al., 2017; Pandey, 2010; Vaughan-Whi ehead, 2013). Fu -
he mo e, as c ises o en su pass he scope o exis ing legisla ion, hey equi e he expansion o legal amewo ks
and measu es o adap o new ci cums ances and add ess u u e challenges mo e e ec i ely. As a esul , exis ing
esea ch ecognized c ises as ele an d i e s o policy g ow h (Alb igh & C ow, 2021; Knill & S einebach, 2022).
4. Me hodology
To comp ehensi ely cap u e and analyze he phenomenon o adminis a i e o e bu dening, his pape explo es
he salience o bu eauc a ic o e load by examining media co e age o bu eauc a ic o e load in Eu opean newspa-
pe a icles. The e o e, we pe o m a con en analysis o newspape a icles in I aly, Ge many, and I eland. All
h ee coun ies a e ad anced democ acies and we e selec ed as hey a e ypical cases o he end o inc eased
accumula ion und s agna ion o capaci ies (see Fe n
andez-i-Ma ín e al., 2023).
A he same ime, hese coun ies exhibi di e ences in e ms o adminis a i e adi ions and o e all go e n-
men capaci ies. Ge many and I aly all unde he Con inen al Eu opean adminis a i e adi ion, cha ac e ized
by legalis ic, ule-based app oaches o public adminis a ion (Pe e s, 2021; S einebach, 2023). In con as , I eland
aligns wi h he Anglo-Saxon adi ion, cha ac e ized by a managemen -o ien ed app oach. In e ms o gene al
go e nmen al e ec i eness, bo h I eland and Ge many consis en ly ou pe o m I aly based on a ious in e na-
ional me ics (Hanson & Sigman, 2021). Iden i ying consis en pa e ns o bu eauc a ic o e load ac oss hese
di e se con ex s would imply ha he challenges we iden i y anscend di e ences in adminis a i e adi ion o
go e nmen e ec i eness, po en ially ep esen ing mo e uni e sal issues aced by mode n public adminis a ions.
Howe e , i is impo an o no e ha ou heo y p ima ily ocuses on ad anced democ acies and ule g ow h as a
consequence o ee compe i ion. Fo example, findings by (Aschenb enne e al., 2023) sugges ha au oc acies
beha e undamen ally di e en ly in his con ex . The e o e, i may no be a uni e sal phenomenon bu a he
specific o ma u e democ acies.
Relying on Fac i a, a subsc ip ion-based da abase o news a icles, we we e able o access newspape da a
om all h ee coun ies o e a pe iod o 20 yea s om 2002 o 2022. We selec ed wo newspape s pe coun y:
The I ish Examine and I ish Independen o I eland, Süddeu sche Zei ung and Die Wel o Ge many, and
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d. 623
Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies A. Lenz e al.
Co ie e della Se a and La Repubblica o I aly. Wi h he selec ion o newspape s, we ied o accoun o he
ideological o ien a ion o he newspape s on he le and igh o achie e a balanced selec ion. The mo e (cen e -)
le leaning newspape s a e The I ish Examine ,Süddeu sche Zei ung and Repubblica, while he I ish Independen ,
Die Wel , and Co ie e della Se a a e classified as (cen e -) igh and associa ed wi h conse a i e posi ions ( o
discussion, see e.g., Knill & S einebach, 2022; G a on e al., 2021; Eu o opics, 2023).
1
To iden i y he ele an a icles, we conduc ed an ini ial sea ch using a selec ion o sea ch e ms and ope a o s
in he espec i e language (Ge man, I alian, and English) ha we defined as ele an in ou discussion. These
e ms included keywo ds ela ed o public adminis a ion, implemen a ion, and defici s. We ha e also u ilized he
op ion o p ede e mine he geog aphic scope o ou sea ch inqui ies. We configu ed he se ings so ha we only
ob ain a icles pe aining o domes ic issues wi hin he espec i e coun y. D awing om he ini ial sea ch esul s,
we engaged in an i e a i e p ocess, whe e a subse o he a icles was selec ed o fine- une ou sea ch e ms and
ope a o s. This e alua ion and efinemen cycle was pe o med wice. This i e a i e p ocedu e allowed us o p o-
g essi ely enhance he p ecision and comp ehensi eness o ou sea ch. Fo example, we ecognized ha nume -
ous a icles in ou selec ion e e ed o decisions made by adminis a i e cou s. Ye , hese e e ences did no
specifically pe ain o ins ances o bu eauc a ic o e bu dening. Likewise, we e ie ed nume ous a icles dis-
cussing he concep o “s ess es s”wi hin he banking sec o . Ins i u ed in esponse o he 2007 banking c isis,
hese igo ous assessmen s a e a egula o y equi emen o Eu opean banks o be pe iodically unde aken. Ye
again, hese a icles did no del e in o he heme o o e bu dening wi hin he con ex o he public sec o .
Following his efinemen p ocess, we conduc ed a final sea ch wi h he adjus ed sea ch e m lis and ope a-
o s (see Fig. 1and Table A1 in he online Appendix). We ob ained a final sample o 4790 a icles, o which we
Figu e 1 Resea ch s a egy. No e: As e isk indica es ha we pu pose ully chose 100 a icles, app oxima ely 30 a icles pe
coun y, as sample o he efinemen . We analyzed hese a icles o modi y ou sea ch e m lis by including addi ional ele-
an wo ds and efining o es ic ing ce ain e ms o imp o e he accu acy o ou sea ch. The wo ding o sea ch e ms and
ope a o s in he o he languages can be ound in he online Appendix.
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d.624
A. Lenz e al. Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies
d ew a andom selec ion o 1000 a icles o he analysis and coding p ocess (338 a icles o I aly, 302 a icles
o I eland, and 360 a icles o Ge many).
2
4.1. Coding p ocess and eliabili y
We cons uc ed a coding scheme based on ou heo e ical expec a ions. Fi s , we iden ified whe he each a icle
epo ed some so o adminis a i e o e bu dening o no (O e load: yes jno). I he a icle discussed o e -
bu dening, we u he coded he specific policy a ea a ec ed using he opics o he compa a i e agendas p ojec
(CAP) (Be an, 2019) o di e en ia e be ween policy issues. The a eas lis ed by CAP a e Mac oeconomics,Ci il
Righ s,Heal h,Ag icul u e,Labo ,Educa ion,En i onmen ,Ene gy,Immig a ion,T anspo a ion,Law and C ime,
Social Wel a e,Housing,Domes ic Comme ce,De ense,Technology,Fo eign T ade,In e na ional A ai s,Go e n-
men Ope a ions,Public Lands, and Cul u e. Finally, we coded he d i e s o adminis a i e o e load based on
ou heo e ical discussion abo e, di e en ia ing be ween asks and complexi y, lack o capaci y, mismanagemen ,
and exogenous change. To ensu e consis ency and eliabili y, any disc epancies o unce ain ies we e esol ed
h ough discussion and consensus among he code s du ing he p ocess.
To es in e code eliabili y, mul iple code s independen ly assessed a subse o a icles (Neuendo , 2017).
The o e all ag eemen in coding decisions di e ed along he di e en coding ca ego ies. Wi h ega d o iden i y-
ing whe he a gi en a icle epo ed some so o adminis a i e o e bu dening o no , we find an ag eemen o
98.5% wi h a Cohen’s kappa o 0.97. Fo he policy a ea, we ha e an ag eemen o 86.5% wi h a Cohen’s kappa
o 0.89 (c . Fig. 1). Rega ding he easons o d i ing o e load, we ha e an ag eemen o 83.6% wi h a Cohen’s
kappa o 0.86. Acco ding o Cohen, we hus achie e an o e all in e code eliabili y wi h e y good ag eemen
(0.81–1.00) (Cohen, 1960). Figu e 1summa izes ou esea ch s a egy.
I is impo an o highligh ha ou manual coding p ocess e ealed a subs an ial a e o alse posi i es. As
shown in Figu e A2 in he online Appendix, ou in-dep h in es iga ion o 1000 andomly selec ed a icles ( u -
he elabo a ed below) indica es ha a ound 50 pe cen o he a icles iden ified ia ou sea ch e ms do no pe -
ain o bu eauc a ic o e load (Yes =514 jNo =486). The baseline incidence o alse posi i es exhibi s mino
a ia ions be ween he coun ies compa ed: app oxima ely 60 pe cen in I eland, 50 pe cen in Ge many, and
40 pe cen in I aly. The alse posi i es a e p ima ily due o ambiguous language and he expansi e con ex o
bu eauc a ic o e load. As an example, he a icle “How household cha ge is likely o go down d ain”published
in 2012 by he I ish independen men ions ou key sea ch e ms (he e: au ho i y, minis e , coun y, bu den,
au ho i y, public, implemen ing) bu , in ac , desc ibes he public discussion su ounding he c ea ion o ound-
abou s as a way o inc ease oad sa e y. Howe e , i is impo an o highligh ha hese alse posi i es a e no
exhibi ing a empo al end. This signifies ha while we may ace challenges in assessing he baseline olume o
a icles on bu eauc a ic o e load, he ends o e ime emain una ec ed. In simple e ms, we a e confiden ha
he o e all pa e n obse ed—an inc easing numbe o epo s on bu eauc a ic o e load o e ime—is no skewed
by an up ick in inaccu a ely iden ified a icles.
5. Empi ical analysis
Upon finalizing he coding p ocess, we unde ook a comp ehensi e empi ical analysis. This en ailed colla ing and
dis illing he coded da a aken om he chosen a icles, he eby highligh ing pa e ns, ends, and essen ial find-
ings pe inen o adminis a i e o e load wi hin he h ee analyzed coun ies.
5.1. Bu eauc a ic o e load in newspape epo s
Figu e 2(le side) p esen s he o al numbe o a icles iden ified in he fi s s ep. The figu e e eals a clea
upwa d end in he numbe o a icles co e ing bu eauc a ic o e load h oughou he 20-yea pe iod om 2002
o 2022. As shown in Figu e 2( igh side), his finding also holds aking he a icles co e ing bu eauc a ic o e -
load as a sha e o he numbe o a icles published in he espec i e ime pe iod. Likewise, we can obse e he
end when looking a he coun ies indi idually (see Fig. A1 in he online Appendix).
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d. 625
Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies A. Lenz e al.
bu eauc a ic o e load. Conside ing he b ead h o he phenomenon—i s sec o -spanning, opic-spanning, and
cause-spanning cha ac e —we belie e ha manual coding is he mos sui able app oach o he desc ip i e in en
o his pape . The challenges posed by he complexi y o he bu eauc a ic o e load phenomenon a e also appa en
in he imp ecision o a icle iden ifica ion, whe e, despi e employing mul is age and de ailed selec ion p ocedu es,
we s ill had o elimina e a significan numbe o alse posi i e a icles. Howe e , he sha e o alse posi i e a icles
was consis en ac oss ime, s eng hening he obus ness o ou iden ified ends. To mi iga e subjec i i y o
human e o in ou manual coding, we ensu ed o es o indica ed in e code - eliabili y, al hough comple e
elimina ion o such issues can ne e be ully uled ou .
Las ly, wi h ega ds o gene alizabili y, ou analysis is limi ed o newspape a icles spanning a specific ime
ame and h ee Eu opean coun ies—I eland, Ge many, and I aly. While his migh limi he comp ehensi e
unde s anding o bu eauc a ic o e bu dening, ou ocus on ep esen a i e o ypical cases allows us o cap u e
he p e alen end o inc eased accumula ion. A he same ime, he di e se adminis a i e adi ions in hese
coun ies sugges ha ou findings may anscend di e ences in adminis a i e p ac ices o go e nmen e ec i e-
ness, po en ially eflec ing mo e uni e sal challenges aced by public adminis a ions. Howe e , we canno make
asse ions abou he gene alizabili y o au oc a ic coun ies o ex eme cases, as hei beha io ega ding o e bu -
den may di e (Aschenb enne e al., 2023), pa icula ly in e ms o media co e age (S ie , 2015).
Acknowledging hese limi a ions, u u e esea ch could enhance he scope o hese findings. Me hodologically,
u u e esea ch could employ new app oaches such as ans o me -based language models o machine lea ning.
By le e aging hese sophis ica ed echniques, esea che s could also expand he scope o he s udy o addi ional
coun ies and languages, os e ing a mo e global unde s anding o he issue. Theo e ically, u u e esea ch could
place addi ional emphasis on ex e nal p essu es exe ed on public adminis a ions by in e na ional o sup ana-
ional ac o s. Public adminis a ions and policymaking, in pa icula , ace mul ile el p essu es, wi h in e na ional
o sup ana ional o ganiza ions playing inc easingly influen ial oles, p o iding a po en ial a enue o u u e
esea ch.
7. Conclusion
This pape con ibu es o ou unde s anding o he salience o bu eauc a ic o e load in public discou se, p o id-
ing aluable insigh s in o i s p e alence ac oss di e se con ex s and empo al dimensions. Ou obse a ions
unde sco e ha bu eauc a ic o e load is no only a pe asi e issue bu is also escala ing in i s c i icali y. The mul-
i ace ed ac o s con ibu ing o his challenge a e iden ified h ough he analysis o newspape a icles, shedding
ligh on ask infla ion, capaci y defici s, mismanagemen , and he inc easing impac o a ious ex e nal shocks
and c ises on public ins i u ions. The desc ip i e findings o his pape con ibu e o li e a u es on s ee -le el
bu eauc acy and sec o al policy pe o mance as hey in oduce c ucial insigh s in o how bu eauc a ic o e load
mani es s and e ol es. By elucida ing he d i e s and implica ions o bu eauc a ic o e load, his pape p o ides a
aluable esou ce and combines p e ious esea ch om di e en pe spec i es and me hodologies
(e.g., Dasgup a & Kapu , 2020; Kau mann & an Wi eloos uijn, 2018; Pandey e al., 2007).
The pape also holds p ac ical implica ions. The findings emphasize he in ica e in e play among he expan-
sion o adminis a i e asks, s agnan capaci ies, and mismanagemen and show, ha hese issues a e no me ely
sys emic; hey a e inc easingly ecognized and emphasized in he public discou se. Consequen ly, sus aining ule
g ow h and policy complexi y becomes c ucial. In eg a ed policy-making p ocesses should accoun o exis ing
capaci ies (Knill e al., 2021; T ein e al., 2019) Explo ing di e se solu ions o alle ia e bu eauc a ic o e bu dening
is impe a i e. In pa icula , le e aging e-go e nmen and in o ma ion and communica ion echnology o au o-
ma e adminis a i e asks p esen s a p omising solu ion. To comp ehensi ely g asp hei po en ial and challenges,
addi ional conside a ion and sc u iny a e essen ial (Co della & Tempini, 2015; Tumme s & Rocco, 2015;Yu
e al., 2023).
To conclude, his esea ch unco e s he widesp ead na u e o bu eauc a ic o e load, i s p og ession o e ime,
and i s in ica e con ibu o s. As such, he findings cons i u e a pi o al basis o subs an ia ing he significance o
he o he pape s in his special issue on policy g ow h and will hope ully inspi e u he esea ch a ound he
p ac ical s a egies o alle ia e bu eauc a ic o e load.
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Regula ion & Go e nance published by John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d.632
A. Lenz e al. Mapping bu eauc a ic o e load: Dynamics and d i e s in media co e age ac oss h ee Eu opean coun ies

Acknowledgmen
This s udy is a esea ch ou pu o he ACCUPOL p ojec , unded by he Eu opean Resea ch Council (ACCUPOL
P ojec , G an . No. 788941). We hank he h ee anonymous e iewe s o hei cons uc i e eedback on he
o iginal e sion o his a icle. The au ho s also hank K is ian Le dal o excellen esea ch assis ance. Open
Access unding enabled and o ganized by P ojek DEAL.
Conflic o in e es
None o he au ho s ha e a conflic o in e es o disclose.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
The da a ha suppo he findings o his s udy a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon easonable
eques .
Endno es
1
Eu o opics is a news agg ega o published by he Ge man ede al go e nmen agency “Bundeszen ale ü poli ische
Bildung.”I aims a p esen ing a di e si y o opinions, ideas and moods in Eu ope. Fo his pu pose, i classifies Eu opean
media ou le s based on hei poli ical posi ion.
2
A po en ial conce n wi h ou app oach is ha andom selec ion om he sample could esul in a limi ed numbe o obse -
a ions om he ea ly yea s, which ha e ewe o al obse a ions, hus basing ou o e all findings on he examina ion o
only one o wo a icles. To add ess his issue, we ha e coded a disp opo iona ely la ge sha e o a icles om he ea lie
pe iod as compa ed o he la e pe iod. We achie ed his by conduc ing an ex a ound o andom d aws specifically o
he pe iod p io o 2005.
Re e ences
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men alism unde poli ical agmen a ion and policy accumula ion. Go e nance, 35(2), 525–543. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/
go e.12595
Adam, C., & Knill, C. (2018). Plädoye ü eine epidemiologische Neuaus ich ung de Implemen a ions o schung: Skizze eine
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