Paul Underwood Jr., age 16, of Dayton, Ohio, for his question:
JUST WHAT IS BUREAUCRACY?
Bureaucracy is the personnel and administrative structure of an organization. Business,labor, religious,educational and governmental organizations all depend on large work forces arranged in hierarchial fashion to carry out specialized tasks and guided by internal rules and procedures.
The term "bureaucracy" is used most frequently in referring to government administration, especially with regard to officials in the federal government and civil service. It is often used derogatorily to insinuate waste, inefficiency and red tape.
In a more important sense, the growth of governmental system depends on bureaucracy, without which no modern government can function. A major hindrance to development in some nations has been the lack of large scale organizational techniques.
The United States federal bureaucracy is the result of two centuriesof tinkering and compromise. The results have brought envy from nations around the world. During the early days of the nation, executive officials were recruited mainly from an educated class that had an interest in a long term career in government. In 1820, Congress imposed a four year term for federal administrators, leading to rapid turnover and the beginning of a spoils system that allocated federal jobs to political supporters of the party in power.
The Pendleton Act of 1883 created a competitive civil service dedicated to professionalism and nonpartisanship. The generalization that has persisted for many years of the anonymous and unaccountable government beauracy does not always stand up well to facts.
Federal officials located infield offices around the nation operate close to the public. Various statutes require board representation within the executive branch of difficult social and economic interests, geographical units, political parties and minority groups.
The administrative process of the federal government is purposely designed to encourage participation by the public, private interest groups and local officials. During the 20th century as the attributes to political independence took hold, the civil service came under fire for being insufficiently responsive to Congress and the President. At the same time, critics complained about its bureaucratic aspects.
In 1978, Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act, which replace the Civil Service Commission with the Office of Personnel Management, under closer control of the President. The act also established the Senior Executive Service to provide Presidents with greater discretion in reassigning top officials to various departments and agencies.
Bureaucracy then need not be viewed as an impediment to efficient government operation. A responsible and effective bureaucracy is an important part of any democratic system.