Post Bureaucracy and the Politics

Throughout the rigmarole of political history of the United States of America, the growth of the “fourth branch of government”, the Bureaucracy, has been a prominent, controversial topic. Peter Woll, in his article “Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power”, and James Q. Wilson, in his article “The Rise of the Bureaucratic State”, discuss this developing administrative branch. The Constitution has no written mention of an “administrative branch”, and today’s Bureaucracy is often tedious, corrupt, and even undemocratic. But such a branch’s development and expansion is necessary in order to keep par with an evolving and changing society.

However, among the causes which negatively connote bureaucracy, but which are debunked in the article, we can find also the need for a privatization for bureaucracy in order to successfully create an efficient system and a more standardization of the latter which treats citizens as simple numbers.

"To the extent that US bureaucracy succeeds, it is due not just to the competent work inside individual organization but the competent interactions among them.” (Goodsell 2008) This quote from Goodsell’s book sums up the book perfectly for me when it comes to the tasks that society puts on bureaucrats. Before reading Charles Goodsell’s, The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic, I did not appreciate the United States Government and what is accomplishes on a daily basis. Goodsell’s book examines how essential the United States’ public service institutions are, even when though they are often heavily criticized. Goodsell showcases the research he’s conducted and survey evidence that shows how that bureaucracy is effective in accomplishing tasks that are free of corruption and staffed with employees who are passionate about their work. He discusses criticism and misconceptions of the United States system of government and argues against that. Overall, Goodsell’s book has reinforced and fully convinced me that bureaucracy at all levels in the government is both effective and efficient. The thesis of the book is to describe the larger difference between bureaucracy’s reputation and its actual record. Goodsell discusses issues of bureaucracy, over expectations of bureaucracy, and why bureaucracy is so important. Common misconceptions

Goodsell’s book “The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic” is composed on the contrary. Goodsell makes several arguments in favor of the fundamental soundness of American bureaucracy. His thoughts are derived from a core belief: the quality of public service in the United States is vastly underrated (p. xi). His polemic is such that the flaws and the faults of bureaucracy in America are far fewer on a proportionate basis than is generally thought. The argument of this book is that a wide gap exists between bureaucracy’s repopulation and its record. Despite endless ranting to the contrary, American bureaucracy does work – in fact, quite well (p. 4). According to Goodsell criticisms of government bureaucracy are based more on myth than reality. Goodsell argues that government agencies actually play a valuable and indispensable role in making our society a better place to live. For instance Goodsell examines studies that show what he argues is evidence of public satisfaction with bureaucracy. His arguments are based on such statistics as “most” citizens believing that police do not accept bribes (p. 27) or that “only” a quarter of welfare recipients waited a half hour or more for service (p. 35). In addressing direct performance evaluation, Goodsell shows that public bureaucracy has witnessed overall growth in productivity from 1967 through 1990. He acknowledges, however, that this cannot be fairly compared to private industry’s experience over the

In Bureaucracy, James Wilson examines government agencies in comparison to the private sector. The portion we read is centered around both the individual (operator) and the organization as a whole. The idea that bureaucracies are inefficient based solely on red tape is discredited with this piece. There is no simple solution to improving the bureaucracy. Finally, Wilson demonstrates that a great deal of variables and ideas contribute to bureaucratic inefficiency.

The Constitution is a plan to help the government help the people. There are many events that helped form the Constitution, but here are a few; Shay’s Rebellion, The Stamp, Sugar, and Quartering Acts, The Revolutionary War, and the First Constitutional Convention. The Constitution once worked for the United States, but we have since expanded. We have advanced technologically, we have a risk of an aristocracy, and the Constitution doesn’t give everyone representation.

Woll views the bureaucracy as the center of governmental power because agencies exercise legislative, judicial, and executive functions, and because of how strongly administration and politics are intertwined. Woll argues that contrary to popular thought, the President and Congress have infrequent control over the administrative process. Agencies make definite decisions that carry out vague policy initiated in Congress or by the President. Agencies also offer expert advice and are receptive to interested pressure groups. Not only do agencies determine the policies that the legislative and executive branches recommend, but the agencies affect the policy-making process through the decisions they make.

After looking at all those critical points of view about bureaucracy one should ask himself a question: If this system has so many disadvantages, why is it still so relevant in the world? Or is it still relevant? Du Gay, who is one of the most famous protagonists of

“Once fully established, bureaucracy is among those social structures which are hardest to destroy. Bureaucracy is the means of transforming social action into rationally organized action. Therefore, as an instrument of rationally organizing authority relations, bureaucracy was and is a powerful instrument of the first order for one who controls the bureaucratic apparatus. Under otherwise equal conditions, rationally and directed action (Gesellschaftshandeln) is superior to every kind of collective behavior (Massenhandeln) and also social action (Gemeinschaftshandeln) opposing it. Where administration has been completely bureaucratized, the resulting system of domination is practically indestructible,” (Weber, 1922, p.336-337).

There have been many bureaucracy practices throughout human history and in today’s world, while most of the practices are being criticized to be inhumane, and a threat to individual freedom both physically and mentally. Some argue that bureaucracy is the only efficient way of organizing a large population often not highly educated, while others states that bureaucracy would only shift power from individuals to the administrating party or the leader of the political

The Bureaucracy has manifested in the human administration system for over 5000 years. The history has written that such organization has been invented in the times of the Egyptian dominant. The creation of a bureaucratic system raise from the monarchy, the ruling of one principle monarch has established a figure that can be seen as the start of the bureaucratic organization. In my essay I’m going discuss is it or it’s not possible for the “Fourth Branch” of our government (the bureaucracy) to be equal with the other three branches.

According to Jackall, Bureaucracy expands the freedom of those on top by giving them the power to restrict power from those beneath them”pg 127 . Higher management have the ability to distribute their work to whomever they like and not be held accountable for anything. The only keen Once the work is done and projects are complete the small people receive a token of appreciation from their manager ,however the manager is receiving the for making the CEO look good . Moreover, the CEO are the highest on the totem pole and seldom deals with the people below. Jackall explains adeptness at inconsistency that allows lobbying to keep regulation as they are, latter saying it was standard at the time, making changes that only benefit the corporate office and the ability to say one thing and do something else. Overall, Jackall confirms, ‘bureaucracy breaks apart the older connection between the meaning of work and salvation.

Surprisingly when reading Bureaucracy and Democracy by William T. Gormley Jr. and Steven J. Balla the authors give a better understanding of how bureaucracy and democracy play apart in everyday life. This is not your average dry college text book. At first glance, it can be daunting to read as it focuses on the four-main parts of social scientific theories. As you continue to read you will discover stories though out the book on different situations, how to handle them, and your role as a public administer.

Bureaucracy was one of the most popular theories developed and is used in some modern organisations such as the NHS and the Police. Through the years bureaucracy has developed a bad reputation for de-humanizing jobs (Grey, 30) “In the ideal-type, people are no more than parts in a well-oiled machine –devoid of passion, prejudice and personality”, although some people prefer this structure (Handy, 22) “No one, it seems, approves of bureaucracy except, interestingly, lots of people in organisations who like to know where they stand.”

Abstract: The theory of bureaucracy was proposed and published by Marx Weber (1947). Although there are some studies on this perspective were discussed before him, those theories did not form as systematic theory. After Weber, the issue of bureaucracy becomes a hot topic in the field of social organization. Almost all well-known scholars such as Martin and Henri have published their views on it. Bureaucracy adapted as the traditional organizational model during industrial society, essentially, bureaucracy could exist rational. This essay firstly will review the principle of bureaucracy in organization based on organizational design perspective. Secondly, it will analyze the strengths and weakness of