Empathy and objectivity: must public servants choose?

Empathy is a foundational public service value and is expressed through care, understanding and responsiveness. At the same time, emotions and empathy are often seen as at odds with bureaucratic neutrality and objectivity.

Can empathy co-exist with the demands of impartial decision-making in public administration? How can these expectations be reconciled in practice?

Join us for a thought-provoking Bridge Live forum, presented by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) and The Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA NSW). Led by The Bridge Editor Maria Katsonis, this session will bring together senior public sector practitioners and academic perspectives to explore how empathy operates in public administration; where it strengthens decision-making, where tensions arise, and what this means for contemporary public sector leadership.

The discussion draws on recent research published in the Australian Journal of Public Administration and featured in an ANZSOG Bridge research brief, connecting academic insight with real-world practice.