Whatever your opinion of Donald Trump and his team, there's at least one point of interest to public opinion and decision-makers in most Western countries: Elon Musk's action against bureaucracy and his appointment to head a government efficiency department.
Contestation of the state has become pervasive in democracies. It is feeding numerous social movements, like that of farmers in France, and has become a wave on which populist parties in many countries are surfing.
Even if the character of the boss of Tesla and X is contested, some are hopeful that this entrepreneur – who symbolizes what would be best in the world of innovation and efficiency – will take up this fight. As plans to simplify and downsize public structures and spending have failed to deliver the desired results, perhaps Musk's approach could provide new ideas and operational solutions.
Fighting the 'system'
In the image of the successful recovery of the SpaceX rocket launcher, the energy and determination of this providential man should make it possible to finally defeat the bureaucratic hydra by opposing it with business methods. Certainly all the forces of the "deep state" [a concept used by Trump] will be mobilized to counter agency cuts, staff and budget reductions, and normative inflation, but Musk and all the powers that will support him in his approach – from the US president to the Supreme Court and Congress – will know how to proceed.
He will know how to fight the "system," with the secret hope that in other countries, the example of his action, or even the simple threat of acting like him, will help establish a balance of power against bureaucracies. This is clearly what Guillaume Kasbarian, former minister [of the civil service] in the Barnier government, in charge of transforming the public sector, thinks.
Without dismissing this scenario out of hand, we can nevertheless question its relevance. First of all, the strength of bureaucracy should not be overestimated, especially as the heads of the essential state structures, helped by the "spoil system" (the installation of a senior civil service loyal to the new president taking office), will be aficionados of Trumpian thinking. The real resistance will come from the Democratic-majority states, and the movement has already begun.
You have 59.16% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.