In Praise of Bureaucracy : Weber - Organization - Ethics

by Paul du Gay

• ISBN13: 9780761955030
• ISBN10: 0761955038
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-09-05
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd

Summary

These are not the best days for bureaucracy…” With these opening words Paul du Gay sets the stage for his provocative new study of institutions, ethics and contemporary society. The book reassesses management as a definitive phenomenon of the 'modern' era and goes on to explore its possible future configurations. Above all the positive, even creative potential of bureaucratic order in a time of complexity, uncertainty and disorder is analyzed. Central to the nature and role of the bureau is the relationship of individuals and institutions: by taking this as his starting point Paul du Gay offers a powerful new critique of organizational action and ethics. Reviewing key theorists from Weber to MacIntyre and Bauman, the text charts the rise and fall of the 'bureau critique', and suggests important ways in which the ideals of bureaucratic order have influenced and may in future shape social action. The book provides a context for re-evaluating structure and action. As a major contribution to organization theory The Bureaucratic Ethos will be essential reading for students and researchers of organization everywhere: at the same time the breadth and liveliness of the examples on which it draws make it a valuable supplement to courses on management and culture studies.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction: Bureaucratic Morality	1	(13)
Part I: The Religious and Romantic Origins of `Bureau Critique'
Alasdair Maclntyre and the Christian Genealogy of `Bureau Critique'	14	(21)
Bauman's Bureau: `Modernity', Identity, Ethics	35	(26)
The Anti-Bureaucrats: Contemporary Managerial Discourse and Charismatic Authority	61	(20)
Part II: Entrepreneurial Governance and the Bureaucratic Ethos
Office as a Vocation? Entrepreneurial Governance and Bureaucracy Critique	81	(15)
`Vitalizing' State Bureaux: Some Ethico-political Consequences of Reinventing Government	96	(18)
Separate and Distinct Personae: Bureaucrats and Politicians	114	(22)
Conclusion: The Ethos of Office and State Interest	136	(12)
References	148	(7)
Index	155