Free Essay: The Case for Bureaucracy

The government of the United States has many agencies when it comes to bureaucracy and Charles Goodsell leads us to various views on the same. For many years, Americans living in different parts of the globe and in the US have though critically about the government as well as the services it offers to its clients. In his book, The Case for Bureaucracy: A public Administration Polemic, Goodsell has evaluated the bureaucracy o the government from the public service institution point of view.

He believes that the bureaucracy system of the United States is criticized unreasonably. He goes on to confirm that it is one of the most efficient systems across the globe. In his argument, bureaucracy in the United States is very effective especially in accomplishing tasks assigned and is corruption free. Additionally, he confirms that the system is staffed with persons who are very passionate about to their work as he addresses critics of the system.

He also offers convincing arguments on the efficiency of the US system. He is determined to fight critics of the bureaucracy system in the US. Goodsell also believes that there is a decline in government trust especially in relevance to its operations. This has made many people to believe that there are inefficiencies in the system. He also asserts, ‘‘I say ‘‘surprisingly’’ because we Americans taught throughout our lives, from hearth and home on through school and career, that our government is a sea of waste, a swamp of incompetence, a mountain of unchecked power, an endless plain of mediocrity’’ (Goodsell 2).

On the contrary to such stereotypes, the author argues that American administrative institutions as well as public servants are not a major source of great waste or a liberty threat but instead, an asset of great value to an operational consensus. The reputation of bureaucracy in the US has also suffered based on the fact that people do not literally comprehend how bureaucrats in the government function.

Bureaucracies play a crucial role in ensuring that millions of citizens work together in compatible ways that are also well defined in a hierarchy. Persons with negative attitudes towards bureaucracies in many cases think that administrators act as paper pushing officials. Administrators who work at street level of service delivery are also major suspicion targets for critics.

The author further claims that the government agencies in the United States are complex, large and highly reliable. He also cites a good example of the postal service because it is one of the most complexes, liable and largest agencies. The company collects and delivers up to 3 billion mails in a week. More than three quarters of the mails arrive on time and none gets lost on transit. The public still takes the work done by the company very lightly and it launches a scanting criticism of the government system in the event where one letter is late.

He also emphasizes that Americans have to change their thoughts and attitudes to see a positive picture of the system in the country. Goodsell also argues that negative stereotypes of the system in the US have made their attack or criticism on the government legal. He therefore advises people to travel and learn how bureaucratic systems in other countries operate.

He further expects them to take note of the hallmark of inordinate delays, long lines, immense wastes, unreliable services, officious indifference and repetitive bribery. Goodsell is agitated by such claims and argues that critics must clearly understand the general bureaucracy objective, which is to back up the government and provide employment and thus, it is very wrong for people to think that bureaucracy focuses on enhancing the quality of state life.

Additionally, the author argues that Americans must learn to change their approach towards bureaucracy because it is the most significant institutional incarnation as well as supporter of public interest in the lives of Americans. Once US citizens understand this, they will be in a position to re-consider their attitude on the restrictions and pressure they exert on government institutions and corporations.

Restricting bureaucracy system is also equivalent crippling it. A crippled bureaucracy is not able to deliver its mandate efficiently thus, creating real inefficiencies as perceived by the critics of the system. Goodsell also argues that critics of bureaucracy system in the United States are theoretical to state that the least in their attitude to the case is contention.

According to Goodsell, the people criticizing the system assume that it operates on an idealistic model of bureaucracy as designed by Max Weber. Web’s sociological bureaucracy model is based on an organization with specific attributes including large size, structures that posse a ranked hierarchy and formal rules. By demonstrating all these features, critics of the system anticipate that a company falls into different behavior patterns including high political power concentration, rigidity, oppressive control and incomprehensive mumbo jumbo.

The author further confirms that all these characteristics are not complimentary. When critics base their arguments on such traits, it condemns bureaucracy in America to be wicked and hopeless. Goodsell also maintains his position that bureaucracy in the US is the best across the globe. He confirms that attacks on US academic bureaucracy is based on theories and that the whole idea that the system does not work efficiently is based on deductive thinking hence, no valid reason to substantiate the assertion that bureaucracy system is insufficient.

The other offers strong evidence by investigating a research study to follow his stand. Many Americans consider their tangible experience with bureaucracy has right therefore, demeaning faultfinders. The author also discussed the state bureaucracy system as displayed by market economists in the country.

Goodsell also believes that economists are not friendly to state administrators because they are profit oriented as opposed to being driven by motivation. American bureaucracy also has been chastised by political power. Critics consider public bureaucracy as dangerous because it whatever government entities engage in, they still fails to prove the outcome.

The author further defends his argument that administration in the United States is the most efficient globally. Expansion of bureaucracy has advanced individual careers especially those working in different government organizations and is equally beneficial to them. Essentially, it is not possible for a single phenomenon to be inept and menacing thus, faultfinders to the system is indeed unfounded.

Bureaucracy in the US is therefore believed by many as quite oppressive to people. Many of them believe that the system treats American citizens callously and is more likely to crush. People also consider the public organizations hierarchy as unbearable inequality pattern. The commanding direction as well as its mechanistic rules is seen as insults to individuals. This has made citizens passive agents denying them a chance to improve their organizations.

The author further disputes such thoughts and asserts that the bureaucracy system is not headed for failure. He argues that the system boosts citizen participation and enhanced the quality of service delivery and as a result, those against the system base their arguments on theory only. The author also advises critics to embrace reality as their school of thoughts.

The author also confirms that bureaucracy processes helps to ensure social control across the society as opposed to critics who believe that they are hidden from the view. He also believes that any form of mistreatment emerges from administration personality where many believe that it is only oppression that makes things go wrong in an organization.

Such believes offer many chances for prejudice and racial classes to prosper because many people are always quick to blaming things on the government administration. The author also claims that government administration in the US has high competence, dignity and responsibility level. The quality variance is however barely credible and people see it as bad. The efficiency of government as well as business sector is also seen by many has invidious but the author asserts that the government is doing much better compared to how the public perceives it.

The reduction in government bureaucracy declined in the 1960s a great deal because of poor management leading to inefficiencies. The system has also reinvented itself and it has become of the best across the globe. The author also advises American citizens to move from one country to the other to be able to make a comparison.

To the author, the American administration system is one of the best across the globe characterized by transparency and efficiency despite being the most complex and the largest. He also invites critics to reconcile with its reality and written. In conclusion, the author has in his case argued convincingly and has offered total assessment on government administration and painted the picture on claims made by critics as baseless and founded on theory.

Works Cited

Goodsell, Charles T. The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House, 1994. Print.