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Sammanfattning: This bachelor thesis explores the potentially conflictual relationship between fundamental state values and political directives in a Swedish context. The analysis takes its starting point in a public letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Office of Administrative Affairs, in which 261 public officials question what to prioritize – instructions from the government or principles declared in the common state values. The study investigates which of these directives the public officials righteously should follow, given that two different ethical rules are favored. By applying a comparative normative method, the theoretical norms of the Weberian ideal bureaucrat and Lundquist’s guardian of democracy are contrasted. The analytical findings show that the ideal bureaucrat accentuates legality and loyalty with superiors, while the guardian of democracy emphasizes state values. The result suggests that the question of what directive is considered most righteous, depends on what ethical rule is favored. In a concluding discussion, the different standpoints are challenged in the light of former research.