The mandarins have maintained their privileged position in this regard, owing partly to the tax system, which prevents the emergence of non-profit institutions, especially think tanks, where independent policy expertise can be forged. Moreover, perhaps in anticipation of a change in power, the mandarins have moved forward the annual personnel changes in the major ministries’ top administrative positions.
民主党政府将直接与官僚体系发生碰撞，部分原因是民主党难以招募到足够数量的合格决策者。官僚家族在上述领域一直保持着优势地位，这部分需要归功于税收体系妨碍了非营利性机构，特别是智库的产生，而独立的政策知识正需要通过以上渠道获得。此外，或许是预见到了权力的变化，官僚家族已经推动了主要部委高层行政职务的年度人员更替过程。