The Politician-public Servant Relationship Under Performance Based Contract Employment: a Study of Victorian Local Government

This paper explores the issue of role relations between ruling politician and public servants. Having examined the literature at all three levels of governments, the paper empirically examines the issue in the context of Victorian local government. Based on a combination of secondary, survey and interview data, the paper argues that politicians have structured the organisation and employment processes to facilitate an environment where senior officers adhere to the politicians' view of the public interest.