I get the impression that there is less ideological and religious polarization between civil servants and the public in Germany than in the U.S. Also, keep in

I get the impression that there is less ideological and religious polarization between civil servants and the public in Germany than in the U.S. Also, keep in mind that U.S. civil servants have far more discretion than in Germany. In Germany, the parliament actively legislates, and the civil service is tasked with carrying out the law. In that system, it’s hard for the civil service to get too far out of step with what the governing coalition in the legislature—who are ultimately elected—wants to happen. In the U.S., by contrast, Congress hardly legislates. So the civil service not only carries out the law, but in practice uses decades-old laws and applies them to new circumstances they were never intended to cover. Because the elected Congress doesn’t legislate, it has much less control over what the civil service does.