Blau: ‘Theory and Development of bureaucracy’
Good governance/corporate governance: principles of a properly functioning
public administration
a. Fair treatment of citizens
b. Unambiguous organization that adheres to the principles of the rule of law
c. Emphasis on the operation of government rather that the way it is
organized
Characteristics of the Weberian ideal type of bureaucracy:
1. The regular activities required for the purpose of the organization are
distributed in a fixed way as official duties. The clear cut division of labor
makes it possible to specialize experts, ‘specialization’, in particular positions
to make them responsible for the effective performance of their duties
2. The organization of offices follows the principle of hierarchy; each lower
office is under the control and supervision of a higher one. In order to
achieve control and coordination of work in large organizations.
3. Operations are governed by a ‘ consistent system of abstract rules and consist
of the applications of these rules to particular cases’. A system of standards to
assure uniformity in the performance of every task. Explicit rules and duties
define the responsibility of each member and relationships among them.
4. Officials conduct in a spirit of formalistic impersonality without hatred or
passion. Rational standards govern operations without interference from
personal considerations. impartiality
5. Employment based on technical qualifications. Usually these personnel policies
encourage the development of loyalty to the organization and ensure job
protection less open to influence by external parties and interests (
6. Experience show that the bureaucratic type of administrative organization
attains the highest degree of efficiency-specialization large
productionefficiency (lecture: if all abovementioned principles are ensured)
effectives of bureaucracy: capacity to coordinate large scale administrative tasks
need for discipline to limit the scope of rational discretion which is met by a
system of hierarchy supervision and regulations.
Pollit:
Civil servants in bureaucracies owed their jobs to merit, not patronage.
, predictable rules, based directly or indirectly on public laws, individual cases
impartially, according to these rules. In many instances they enjoyed lifelong career
prospects, which, would encourage institutional loyalty and discourage opportunistic
attitudes to external attractions.
promote uniformity in the provision of public services.
Negative consequences of bureaucracy:
1. Monopoly of information, rendering outsiders unable to determine the basis on
which decisions are made
‘official secret’ defended by the bureaucracy HOWEVER, people deserve to
have insight of what it is going on
2. A structure very hard to destroy; the very specialization of their expertise
makes impossible to administer large nation states or private enterprises
without them.
3. Ambivalent organizations towards democracy; on the one hand it accompanies
democracy- regularity of execution of authority as a demand of ‘equality before
the law’ on the other hand, its tendencies towards monopolizing information
resist change and act autocratically not only in totalitarian regimes eg China,
NAZI regime
4. Impartiality of bureaucracy treats people the same so people, causing hazard,
people have to be more judgemental
Since the ideal type is conceived as the perfectly efficient organization all
differences from it must necessarily interfere with efficiency. There is
considerable evidence that suggests the opposite: informal relations and
unofficial practices often contribute to efficient operations.
HISTORICAL CONDITIONS:
- Development of money economies which permits quantitative calculation
of income and expenditures hence permanence and predictability in
performance structures
payment of regular salaries creates interdependences conducive to the
performance of bureaucracies
- Mass education: bureaucracies rely on written records and documents,
hence literacy is essential.
Good governance/corporate governance: principles of a properly functioning
public administration
a. Fair treatment of citizens
b. Unambiguous organization that adheres to the principles of the rule of law
c. Emphasis on the operation of government rather that the way it is
organized
Characteristics of the Weberian ideal type of bureaucracy:
1. The regular activities required for the purpose of the organization are
distributed in a fixed way as official duties. The clear cut division of labor
makes it possible to specialize experts, ‘specialization’, in particular positions
to make them responsible for the effective performance of their duties
2. The organization of offices follows the principle of hierarchy; each lower
office is under the control and supervision of a higher one. In order to
achieve control and coordination of work in large organizations.
3. Operations are governed by a ‘ consistent system of abstract rules and consist
of the applications of these rules to particular cases’. A system of standards to
assure uniformity in the performance of every task. Explicit rules and duties
define the responsibility of each member and relationships among them.
4. Officials conduct in a spirit of formalistic impersonality without hatred or
passion. Rational standards govern operations without interference from
personal considerations. impartiality
5. Employment based on technical qualifications. Usually these personnel policies
encourage the development of loyalty to the organization and ensure job
protection less open to influence by external parties and interests (
6. Experience show that the bureaucratic type of administrative organization
attains the highest degree of efficiency-specialization large
productionefficiency (lecture: if all abovementioned principles are ensured)
effectives of bureaucracy: capacity to coordinate large scale administrative tasks
need for discipline to limit the scope of rational discretion which is met by a
system of hierarchy supervision and regulations.
Pollit:
Civil servants in bureaucracies owed their jobs to merit, not patronage.
, predictable rules, based directly or indirectly on public laws, individual cases
impartially, according to these rules. In many instances they enjoyed lifelong career
prospects, which, would encourage institutional loyalty and discourage opportunistic
attitudes to external attractions.
promote uniformity in the provision of public services.
Negative consequences of bureaucracy:
1. Monopoly of information, rendering outsiders unable to determine the basis on
which decisions are made
‘official secret’ defended by the bureaucracy HOWEVER, people deserve to
have insight of what it is going on
2. A structure very hard to destroy; the very specialization of their expertise
makes impossible to administer large nation states or private enterprises
without them.
3. Ambivalent organizations towards democracy; on the one hand it accompanies
democracy- regularity of execution of authority as a demand of ‘equality before
the law’ on the other hand, its tendencies towards monopolizing information
resist change and act autocratically not only in totalitarian regimes eg China,
NAZI regime
4. Impartiality of bureaucracy treats people the same so people, causing hazard,
people have to be more judgemental
Since the ideal type is conceived as the perfectly efficient organization all
differences from it must necessarily interfere with efficiency. There is
considerable evidence that suggests the opposite: informal relations and
unofficial practices often contribute to efficient operations.
HISTORICAL CONDITIONS:
- Development of money economies which permits quantitative calculation
of income and expenditures hence permanence and predictability in
performance structures
payment of regular salaries creates interdependences conducive to the
performance of bureaucracies
- Mass education: bureaucracies rely on written records and documents,
hence literacy is essential.
