Do the Advantages of the Weberian Bureaucracy Outweigh Its Disadvantages?
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120976600 |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| Author | Mansoor Hasan Khan |
| Subject Matter | Notes |
Note
Do the Advantages of
the Weberian
Bureaucracy Outweigh
Its Disadvantages?
Mansoor Hasan Khan1
Introduction
Bureaucracy1 refers to both a body of non-elective government officials and an
administrative policy-making group. This comprises a system wherein the pro-
cesses are very much structured and the organisation works as per the rules of
business. There is a hierarchy in the organisation which allows every entity to
function in its sphere and interacts with the higher and lower functionaries.
Bureaucratic set up is completely different from the set up of the private sector or
various other non-governmental organisations. What are those special character-
istics which make the bureaucracy have its own identity?
Advantages
According to Max Weber,2 the major characteristics of a bureaucratic setup are as
follows:
1. Hierarchy of authority
2. Division of work
3. Rules and regulations
4. Impersonal relations
5. Rationality
6. Rule of law
These characteristics display the advantages of the bureaucratic set up. In the
bureaucracy, the work is allocated to all the employees as per their capabilities,
and the superior authority is empowered to monitor the work of its junior. In a
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
66(4) 592–595, 2020
© 2020 IIPA
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DOI: 10.1177/0019556120976600
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1 Director, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Ministry of Finance,
New Delhi, India.
Corresponding author:
Mansoor Hasan Khan, Director, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM),
Ministry of Finance, New Delhi 110003, India.
E-mail: mhkhan.idas@gmail.com
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