- Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity, usually in large organizations and government.
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- As opposed to adhocracy, it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following), formal division of powers, hierarchy, and relationships. In practice the interpretation and execution of policy can lead to informal influence.
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- Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules are socially organized.
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- The word "bureaucracy" stems from the word "bureau," used from the early 18th century in Western Europe not just to refer to a writing desk, but to an office, i.e., a workplace, where officials worked.
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- An example might be that an organization which puts its own comfort, convenience and longevity ahead of its mission could be called a bureaucracy.
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- Modern academic research has debated the extent to which elected officials can control their bureaucratic agents.
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- Because bureaucrats have more information than elected officials about what they are doing and what they should be doing, bureaucrats might have the ability to implement policies or regulations that go against the public interest.
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- William Niskanen argued that rational bureaucrats will always and everywhere seek to increase their budgets, thereby contributing strongly to state growth
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- Niskanen went on to serve on the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors under President Reagan, and his model provided a strong underpinning for the worldwide move towards cutbacks of public spending and the introduction of privatization in the 1980s and 1990s.
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- One argument against Niskanen's theory is that bureaucarts' motivations are generally more public interest-oriented than Niskanen would allow.
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