Public Sector Management

1. Max Weber’s statements on the principles of bureaucratic organizations
and on the ideal traits of
bureaucrats that emerge from these principles were the first clear articulation
of what constitutes modern bureaucracy. They are well-known and have served as
the model for defining bureaucracy for a century. Bureaucracies employ:

A hierarchical structure, characterized by a
chain-of-command management system
Management by written, well-established rules followed
by all
Organization by functional specialty, with expertise
residing in different units of the organization
The purposeful, impersonal conduct of work – there
should be no place for personal agendas and politics when conducting the
organization’s work efforts
Hiring and promotion of personnel based on technical
qualifications – nepotism, favoritism, bias toward some employees and
discrimination against others should be avoided

a. Why is it important that governments
adhere to these principles and traits? Focus on two of the principles listed above, and show why it is necessary to follow
them. Identify at least two traits of bureaucrats that flow from these
principles (One-half page to one full-page response, single spaced.)

b. While national governments are
universally “bureaucratic,” many do not adhere to Weber’s model, which identifies
virtuous characteristics that should be followed (e.g., dictatorships, third
world countries, theocracies do not follow Weber’s model). What are some
consequences of ignoring the precepts of the model in respect to government
effectiveness? (One-half page to one full-page, single spaced.)

2. For many years, bureaucracy was seen as
an excellent way to deal with large scale operations and complexity. In recent
years, however, bureaucracy has often been used as a dirty word. Explain how
bureaucracy, with its obvious strengths, has become viewed by many people as
something unpleasant and ineffective. (One page, single spaced.)

3. This question examines the common
phenomenon of bureaucratic infighting.

Governments
are run by means of bureaucracies. At the highest level, a government is
divided into functional areas in the form of ministries (e.g., Ministry of
Health), agencies (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency), or departments
(e.g., Department of Defense). Each of these entities is, in turn, broken into
smaller components and subcomponents.

By
the very nature of the missions they pursue, there is bound to be overlap in
tasks pursued by different government entities. For example, in the United States,
both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human
Services carry out duplicative efforts in order to promote nutrition.

It
is also likely that different government entities may pursue missions that
conflict with each other. For example, in the United States, the Department of
Energy and the Department of the Interior pursue policies to exploit energy
resources, while the Environmental Protection Agency’s principal mission is to
maintain a strong environment and combat pollution, which may work against the
objectives of the Energy and Interior Departments.

A
well-known example of bureaucratic infighting is tied to the attempt to get the
Keystone Pipeline approved by Congress as well as President Obama in the
mid-2010s. In early 2015, both the Senate and House of Representatives approved
the project, but on 24 February, President Obama rejected it on environmental
grounds. For the project to go forward, two-thirds of the Senate and House
would need to vote in its favor to override the President’s veto.

a. Consider two Executive Branch players:
the Department of Energy (DoE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Owing to their different missions, they have different views on the merits of
the Keystone project. What would be DoE’s position? What would be EPA’s
position? Explain the rational for your response. When bureaucratic infighting
like this occurs, what kinds of actions do opposing sides take in order to have
their perspective prevail?
b. In the case of the Keystone project,
conflict extends beyond infighting within the Executive Branch. Briefly
describe the conflicting perspectives of other players.

Last Completed Projects