Chapter 16 Bureaucracy

 The people involved in the implementation of government policy  May provide policy ideas to those in power who make policy decisions but do not directly set policy themselves  Often linked to pursuing the public good by enhancing civil society and social justice  Government management Public Administration

1.Honest, accurate implementation of policy 2.Flexibility in dealing with special cases 3.Flexibility not used arbitrarily 4.Provide good feedback, expert advice, and wise inquiry 5.Are efficient A Good Public Administration

 Administration of a government chiefly through bureaus or departments staffed with nonelected officials. Characteristics  Well-defined division of administrative labor among persons and offices  Personnel system (usually based on merit)with consistent patterns of recruitment and stable linear careers, Bureaucracy

Characteristics (continued)  a hierarchy among offices, such that the authority and status are differentially distributed among employees (hierarchical command structure)  formal and informal networks that connect people to one another through flows of information and patterns of cooperation Bureacracy

 Bureaucrats tend to keep advice to themselves unless asked  Tend toward standardization instead of individualization  Evaluating job performance can be difficult  Direct political pressure Potential Problems of Bureaucracy