Bureaucracy( 科层制 )

Three ideal types of

legitimate domination• Charismatic domination

– Based on the prophetic pronouncements of oracles and great leaders invested with ‘magical’ qualities.

• Traditional domination– Resting on a belief in the authority of ‘immemorial traditions’

• Legal-rational domination (modern society)– Based on a belief in the legality of enacted

rules and the right of those in authority to issue commands that have their basis on law.

Definition of bureaucracy

– An organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently

– ‘Formally the most rational means of exercising authority over human beings’ ( Weber)

– Complex organization

(Weberian Sturctures)

Bureaucracy as ideal type

• There is the principle of fixed and official jurisdictional areas, which are generally ordered by rules, laws or administrative regulations.

• Office hierarchy

• The management of the modern office is based upon written documents (‘files’)

Bureaucracy as ideal type

• All specialized office management usually presupposes a thorough and expert training.

• Official activity demands the full working capacity of the official.

• The management of the office follows general rules

Bureaucracy and rationality

• A rational form of organization.

• Consequences of rationalization‘McDonaldization of society’(G. Ritzer)

• Efficiency • Calculability• Uniformity• Control through automation

Bureaucracy and economic growth

Bureaucracy and economic growth• "Weberian " characteristics

(bureaucracy) significantly enhance prospects for economic growth

• Bureaucracy should be included as a factor in general models of economic growth.

• Policymakers should pay more attention to building better bureaucracies, and social scientists should do more researches on variations in how state bureaucracies should be organized.

Thank you

Jiaxuan YuSchool of Social Development and Public PolicyFudan University