The Dejudicialization of the German Federal Bureaucracy: An Organizational Perspective on Policy‐Related Knowledge

ABSTRACT Using data from a long‐term survey of senior civil servants (1970–2021), this study investigates the declining share of jurists in federal ministerial departments in Germany. The mechanisms driving this trend and its subsequent effects are discussed from an organizational perspective, highlighting the influence of environmental pressure and the increasing importance of science and expert knowledge in policy formulation. The study applies contingency theory to explain the phenomenon of dejudicialization and its uneven distribution across ministerial departments. The findings indicate that ministerial departments operating in science‐driven policy domains are more likely to hire civil servants with policy‐related expertise. In contrast, those in law‐focused policy domains tend to prefer personnel with legal training. A key consequence of a more diverse senior civil servant staff is a more open attitude toward external scientific advice than was previously the case. In contrast, ministerial departments dominated by jurists still rely more on their in‐house expertise.