The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic

by Goodsell, Charles T.

• ISBN13: 9781568029078
• ISBN10: 1568029071
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-12-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

The Case for Bureaucracy persuasively argues that American public servants and administrative institutions are among the best in the world. Contrary to popular stereotypes, they are neither sources of great waste nor a threat to liberty, but social assets of critical value to a functioning democracy. In presenting his case, Goodsell touches on core aspects of public administration while drawing on important, recent events to bring case material and empirical evidence fully up to date.This new edition incorporates the events of 9/11 to explore their impact on future bureaucratic performance, speaking specifically to the massive reorganization under the new Department of Homeland Security. As well, Goodsell offers a complete assessment of the reinventing government movement and related reforms to show how far bureaucracies have come, while pointing to the challenges they continue to face.Updating worth highlighting:New data on public perceptions of bureaucracy.New section on the delegation of policy implementation to contractors and nonprofits.New statistics regarding quality-of-life improvements in American society since the 1980s.New profiles of real bureaucrats&BAD:-and citizen interaction with them&BAD:-giving bureaucracy a human face.New material on bureaucratic contributions to the political system that go beyond implementing policy.New coverage of the administrative consolidation following 9/11 and competitive outsourcing by the Bush Administration.New analysis of current reform proposals focused on market competition and business management practices.New proposals for ways to improve bureaucracy.

Author Biography

Charles T. Goodsell is professor emeritus at the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	ix
Preface	xi
Bureaucracy Despised, Disparaged, and Defended	1	(23)
A Brief for Bureaucracy	3	(4)
A Bit of Bureaucratic History	7	(4)
The Academics Debate Bureaucracy: The Opponents	11	(7)
The Academics Debate Bureaucracy: The Supporters	18	(6)
What Citizens Experience from Bureaucracy	24	(18)
Surveying the Surveys	24	(7)
Reflections on the Surveys	31	(2)
Direct Performance Measures	33	(5)
Accomplishments of America	38	(4)
More Bureaucracy Myths to Delete	42	(17)
The Myth of Determinism	42	(4)
The Myth of Discrimination	46	(2)
The Business-Is-Better Myth	48	(6)
The Bureaucracy-Is-Backward Myth	54	(5)
Ask the Impossible of Bureaucracy? Easy!	59	(25)
No-Win Situations and Red Tape	60	(5)
When Many Governments Act	65	(6)
When Public Action Is Dispersed	71	(10)
Solve Those Problems!	81	(3)
Looking Closer at Those Bureaucrats	84	(28)
Their Representativeness	84	(10)
Their ``Personality''	94	(7)
Their Motivations	101	(6)
Their Lesser-Known	107	(5)
Bureaucratic Bigness and Badness Reconsidered	112	(27)
The Size of Bureaucracy	112	(3)
Growth, Aging, and Badness	115	(9)
The Political Power of Bureaucracy	124	(4)
The Political Contributions of Bureaucracy	128	(11)
Fads and Fundamentals of Bureaucracy	139	(24)
The Case Recapitulated	139	(2)
The Reforms Reviewed	141	(16)
Bureaucracy's Fundamentals as Metaphor	157	(6)
Notes	163	(22)
Selected Books	185	(8)
Index	193