On 29th April 2019, the seventh seminar of the Fudan-LSE lecture series was held at Fudan University. The lecture was jointly organized by the Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) and School of International Relations & Public Affairs, Fudan University. Bert Rockman, an emeritus professor at Purdue University, gave a lecture entitled “Administration under Abnormal Regimes: The Case of Donald Trump.”

Professor Rockman elucidated the theme from four parts. First, how do we distinguish between normal and abnormal government institutional reform? By comparing the government under Trump’s administration with those under the leadership of Nixon, Reagan, Berlusconi, Professor Rockman revealed that Trump’s government was characterized as more impulsive, self-centered, and a combination of neo-fascism and neoliberal ideas, which can be featured as abnormal. Second, he elaborated on issues of the independence and politics of bureaucracy. Professor Rockman suggested that the big cost paid by the United States to achieve harmony between the President and the bureaucracy reflects the lack of fundamental consensus on the purpose of government from different parts.

Third, Professor Rockman discussed the relationship between presidential transition and mobility of civil servants. By comparing the presidential transitions between Reagan and Trump, Professor Rockman suggested that Regan administration paid more attention to the stability of civil servants in bureaucracy, while Trump created a great deal of chaos to the bureaucracy on account of his impulsive personality. Fourth, drawing on the theoretical framework of “exit, voice and loyalty” proposed by Albert Hirschman, Professor Rockman analyzed different choices and behaviors of civil servants under Trump administration.

Professor Rockman argued that different from the normal government management, Trump administration lacks of understanding and respects for governance practices, institutions, procedures, and even the U.S. Constitution. As a result, Professor Rockman had reservations about the “abnormal” Trump administration’s ability to make and honor its promises, maintain order, and govern professionally.