Promises and Limits of Representative Bureaucracy in the Study of the EU’s Bureaucracy

A few studies have started working with the theory of representative bureaucracy to study the staff of the European Commission. This theory, somewhat old in public administration and political science, is still in its infancy stage in the context of the European Commission and, more broadly, the EU. Interesting for the links it makes between bureaucracy and democratic legitimacy, this theory does not go without difficulties in the context of the EU: a) the theory is normally used in the context of states and EU is notoriously not a state; b) most European administrative cultures are not easily compatible with the normative dimension of this theory. In an attempt to map the promises and limitations of the theory of representative bureaucracy for the study of the EU’s bureaucracy, the paper will tackle the following issues: How can this theory be adapted to fit the EU context? Can it be used despite its normative dimension? What are the possible added values of this theory to other approaches in the study of the bureaucracy of the EU? Finally, which research agendas can it open or contribute to develop?