Bureaucracy

Question 1

Patrimonial Administration? Its characteristics?

Answer 1

Indirect personal services to the monarch. Lack of formality, organization, and order.

Question 2

Bureaucratic Administration? Its characteristics?

Answer 2

Modernized, formal and efficient management of specified tasks. Based on merit, knowledge, and ability rather than reputation. Rational and legal. Hierarchically driven with job descriptions and titles.

Question 3

Functions of Bureaucrats

Answer 3

Advise policy for policy makers
Stable position - lifetime job
Clientelism - serving particular group interests

Question 4

Origins of Bureaucrats

Answer 4

Overtime, demands of war, complex societies, and state monopolization made patrimonial administration increasingly unworkable.

Question 5

What was Weber’s convictions about Bureaucratic administration? Why is not the case today?

Answer 5

That it would always stay the same as one model. There are in fact 2 different models today, knowledgable specialists and generalists, performance incentives, and quangos - both government funded public-private hybrid body.

Question 6

Major Moves of Administration

Answer 6

Massive expansion of the role of the state due to mass democratization and pressures of two world wars.
New responsibilities such as economy management.
Big gov meant big bureau but in the last few decades state sectors have been privatized for efficiency.

Question 7

What is the rational actor in policy making?

Answer 7

Emphasis on the individual and who knows what he wants and pursues it with maximum effort.

Question 8

What are the critical commentaries on rational choice in policy making?

Answer 8

Incremental model - policy making is riddled messy compromises and muddles through
Bureaucratic organization - no rational actor, the structure and culture predetermines what options are selected and conflicting agencies are obsessed with defending their turf
Belief systems model - says agents see through the lens of their ideology and are selective of legislative features.

Question 9

What is the policy making process

Answer 9

Major components include:
agenda setting - deciding which issues get consideration
policy formulation - deciding decision-making process, reviewing of options, and development of specific policy proposals
policy implementation and policy feedback