Elective Public Management – Week 1
Development of Public Management:
Bureaucracy
Andreas Bergmann
Institute of Public Management
andreas.bergmann@zhaw.ch
Building Competence. Crossing Borders.
 What is your understanding of „bureaucracy“ or
„bureaucratic“?
 Where or when do you experience bureaucracy?
• In a positive way
• In a negative way
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Development of Public Management/
Bureaucracy
Overview week 2
 Function of Public Activities
 Before Bureaucracy
 Bureaucracy by Max Weber
 Appraisal of Bureaucracy
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Function of Public Activities (1)
There are problems which cannot be resolved individually.
Private
sector
Infrastructure
Economic system
Public
sector
Legitimacy
Taxation
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Guarantees
Funding
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Non-profit
organizations
Function of Public Activities (2)
 Government intervention
• Individuals/corporations are limited by the government (i.e. police, taxes
 Government provision of services
• Individuals/corporations are provided with services by the government
(i.e. schools, hospitals, galleries)
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Function of Public Activities (3)
1. Legislative power = …
2. Judicial power =
…
3. Executive power = …
Public administration is part of the executive power, as long as no
special administrative entities supporting legislative power (i.e.
parliament services) or judicial power (i.e. court administration)
are concerned.
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Function of Public Activities (4)
Rule of Law: Civil rights
Predictability
• Government action needs to be predictable.
Equity
• Equal treatment under equal circumstances.
Judicial control
• Government action can be referred to an independant court.
Vgl. Schedler
S. 8
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Function of Public Activities (4)
Rule of Law: Implications for Public Administration
 No execitive entity is above law.
 If law requires activity, administration has no discretion.
 Administrative action requires a legal basis.
 Law is changed in the same procedure it has been enacted.
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Before Bureaucracy
Before French Revolution: Absolutism
• Elements:
- Centralism
- Civil servants are employed by the throne
- All three powers are united in the throne
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Louis XIV, um 1700
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Before Bureaucracy
French Revolution: Division of power, but administration stays
the same
• Aristocratic civil service
- Personal nomination
- Inheritance of positions
• In Switzerland mainly Canton BE (inkl. occupied territories VD,
AG, JU) and BS
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Before Bureaucracy
However: Separation of intervention and service provision
 Intervention: Secular, by public administration
• E.g. armed forces, police, prison, customs, taxation
 Public services: Religious, by the church
• E.g. schools, hospitals, homes
 In Roman Catholic areas still observable
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Max Weber (*1864 in Erfurt,
+1920 in München)
 Lawyer, economist and
sociologist
 Most important publication: Die
protestantische Ethik und der
‚Geist‘ des Kapitalismus
(1904/05)
 But also founder bureaucracy
theory (in: „Wirtschaft und
Gesellschaft“, 1922)
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Bureaucracy theory
 One of the three classical organizational theories (the others are
„Structural Approach“ by Taylor/Fayol und „Human-Relations-Approach“ by
Mayo/Rothlisberger)
 Bureaucracy: literally rule of the office
 For Max Weber: „Rationalization“
• Rationale Form
• of legal power
 Interpretationen to some extent controversial
 Bureaucracy = system of related entities
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Bureaucracy theory (2)

Two fundamental priciples:
1. Rule based power
2. Hierarchy
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Typical elements of a Bureaucracy
 Rigorous division of labor
 Authority limited to clearly defined scope
 Knowlegde & competence  appointment  functional authority
 Hierarchy
 Defined processes
 Emphasize on documentation/written communication
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Typical elements of a Bureaucracy
 Compensation of employees only based on position
 Unpersonal communication
 Separation of administrative and personal possesion
 Rationale discipline
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Abb.: Apparatschiks
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Typical behaviour of civil servants:
 Fullfil their duty obligations independently based on the law
 Comply with hierarchy
 As little communication with politicians as possible
 Refuse to obey orders which are not inaccordance with the law
 Dismissal only possible if there is a breach of law
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Bureaucracy as defined by Max Weber
Input-Control (following Max Weber‘s principles)
Periodically
recurring
Einfluss
politische Führung
Determination of INPUTS (de facto in the Budget)
Non-recurring
plus
Compliance with typical elements of bureaucracy
=
Optimum OUTPUT
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Input- Output Control
Resources
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Production
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Demand (Market)
Appraisal of Bureaucracy : Advantages
„Checks & Balances“
 Rigorous structures
 Transparency (unless structure is )
 Limitation of power
 Rule of law
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Appraisal of Bureaucracy : Critical issues
Increased complexity
• Simultaneous processes
• Diversity of demand
• Increased expectations of citizens
• Increased expectations of others
• Increased expectations of financial
markets
Rapid change
• Culture
• Globalization
• Technology (Internet!)
Public Administration
Scarce Resources
• Scarce financial resources
• Scarcity of skilled employees
• Public sector debt
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Appraisal of Bureaucracy : Critical issues
Bureaucracy leads to inflexibility
 No adaptation to external influences
 Red tape („Dienst nach Vorschrift“) is the role model
 Official channels
• Slows processed down
• filters informationen
 No gradual cutbacks
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Appraisal of Bureaucracy : Critical issues
Disadvantages of input control
 Incremental budgeting based on earlier periods
 Love of details
 Little flexiblity
 Dissipation of funds towards the end of the period
 Not made for large service providers
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Appraisal of Bureaucracy : Critical issues
Lack of customer orientation
 Arrogant (but legally correct) behaviour of civil servants
 Customer needs get neglected
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Appraisal of Bureaucracy : Current situation
Importance nowadays
 Where there is no NPM: still the most important organizations
model
 Where NPM was adopted: some elements persist
•…
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References
Literature
• SCHEDLER/PROELLER, 3-36
•Abraham, M.:Vorlesung Org_Theorie,
www.lrz-muenchen.de/.../ws03_04/abraham_orga/vorlesung_orgtheorie_muenchen_WS02_03_folien_kap3_v20_zweis.pdf
•Online-Verwaltungslexikon olev.de
•Payer, M., Internationale Kommunikationskulturen,
www.payer.de/kommunikationskulturen/kultur081.htm
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