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This collection of essays represents a comprehensive socio-political analysis of public and private bureaucracy, emphasizing its dangerous ramifications for democracy and individualism. The contributors analyze a variety of bureaucratic systems, providing a combination of theory, case studies, and proposed solutions, in an effort to enable the reader to confront the real problems of bureaucracy. Emphasis is on programs and principles directed to the maintenance of democracy and freedom within the limits and conditions of modernity. Bureaucracy Against Democracy and Socialism offers valuable implications for anyone interested in organizational theory and behavior. ... Read more

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This assured study explores the condition of the middle classes in Britain today. The authors outline a new theoretical perspective for exploring the middle classes and provide up to date empirical information on class structure. ... Read more

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David Rogers uses competing sociological models of "mass society" to analyze the New York City school system, which he describes as a "sick bureaucracy." In his new prologue, the author discusses the divisive school decentralization crisis of the late 1960s and early 1970s as well as efforts by subsequent mayors to reform the system, including recent changes implemented by the Bloomberg administration. Originally published by Random House in 1968. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1967.

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This book discusses the structure & of bureaucracy. It deals with the unprecedented growth of large organizations and how the administration of these large organization effect big business, big government, the military, education, scientific & scholarly pursuits, religion, social welfare, & recreation. The book ends with a small bibliography and references to case studies. ... Read more

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This book examines in detail the process of change in 240 city, county and state public bureaucracies responsible for local finance administration. Using the longitudinal method of analysis, the data show organizational structures to be much less stable than conventional stereotypes have suggested. Variables such as organizational leadership, claims to domain, and survival (as opposed to replacement or reorganization) were found to mediate environmental effects on bureaucracies. The book also discusses traditional theories of bureaucracy, theories emphasizing the importance of environment for organizational theory is possible. The concluding chapter draws extensive theoretical implications from the empirical findings of the study. ... Read more

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The author of the book, Peter M. Blau, is from the University of Chicago. The author of the foreward, Charles H. Page, is from Princeton University. As Page states in the forward "this book studies the structure and dynamics of bureaucracy." Also studied is the effect of the bureaucracy on education, scientific & scholarly pursuit, religion, social welfare, & recreation. Also included is a small bibliography & referrals to case studies. ... Read more

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The spread and increasing power of bureaucracy - the accelerated growth of large-scale, centralized administrative structures - is one of the most noticed and discussed phenomena of our time. It now cuts across the distinction between capitalism and communism, democracy and dictatorship, "the Western world" and the organized despotisms of empires and Oriental "agro-managerial" societies. It bids fair to dominate our future, but it has also shaped our past. The concept of "bureaucracy" is as important as its uses are varied, unexamined and confused. In this book, separate chapters describe the ancient bureaucracies of Egypt, China, Mesopotamia and, later, in the New World, the development and perception of bureaucracy in Europe, capitalism and bureaucracy, socialism and bureaucracy in the the post-industrial world. The work seeks both historical understanding and conceptual clarification - it is concerned with bureaucracy as a major and lasting social phenomenon. ... Read more

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The coauthor of Reinventing Government and a political strategist present a hands-on guide for making entrepreneurial government work, on a local as well as state and national levels. 150,000 first printing. $150,000 ad/promo. Tour. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Sage sequel to Reinventing Government
In this sequel to his bestseller, Reinventing Government, David Osborne teams with Peter Plastrik to further explore the process of making public and governmental organizations more entrepreneurial by introducing businesslike practices. The authors focus on five strategies for fundamentally changing the way government works on local, state, regional and national levels, and give plenty of real-life global success stories. This organizational, economic and political tour de force is wonderfully written, and is never dry, academic or reliant on dense government gabble. In fact, it's a page-turner. We recommend it to all concerned citizens.

Osborne at his best
Although less popular than his earlier "Reinventing Government," Osborne's "Banishing Bureaucracy" has much more to offer. This book tells you how to reinvent government and offers many helpful examples. For leaders who want to actually DO something to improve trust and confidence in government, Banishing is the guidebook for you.

Osborne at his best
Although less popular than his earlier "Reinventing Government," Osborne's "Banishing Bureaucracy" has much more to offer.This book tells you how to reinvent government and offers many helpful examples.For leaders who want to actually do something to improve trust and confidence in government, Banishing is a book for you.

Great Thoughts That Did Not Take Root in USG
Well, the Vice President loved it and the President bought into it, but it did not make a difference.The National Performance Review identified a number of substantive objectives for intelligence reform, and theintelligence bureaucracy was successful in ignoring the White House.Isuspect it has something to do with one of the fundamentals:"Unleash-but Harness-the Pioneers."The U.S. IntelligenceCommunity can't stand pioneers unless they are spending billions of dollarson something really, really secret that has a high probability of failure. Reinvention boils down to uncoupling or deconstructing a whole bunch ofstuff, and then allowing the pieces to compete.It requires managers thatcan "let go" and employees that can "take hold."Aboveall, it requires openness and accountability....

Dilbert in Government
If you work in a school or another government institution, and if every Dilbert cartoon is one you want to cut out and post, then read this book.

Working in an absurd environment is funny on the surface but it also canbe deeply depressing. This books shows us how we can do something aboutit.

This is a handbook for fighting the good fight for the return of alittle sanity in the government workplace. ... Read more

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Comments on the first edition: "...a clear and compelling analysis of one of the most pervasive, and also poorly-understood, features of contemporary society" Teaching Philosophy "For any student the book is perfect because it both introduces the reader to the principal theories, and illustrates the impossibility of a neutral, unengaged, or purely technical understanding of the subject" The Times Higher Education Supplement "In this useful introductory book, Beetham distills important themes from the massive literatures on bureaucracy and presents them in a clear, crisp, intelligent way" Ethics * What is bureaucracy? * Are people right to see it as synonymous with red-tape, feather-bedding and inefficiency? * Can it be controlled by politicians, or made more responsive to citizens?Is it only confined to the public sector, or is it pervasive throughout all modern organizations? These are only some of the questions addressed in David Beetham's concise and wide-ranging study.This second edition provides a clear guide through the disciplines of economics, sociology and political science, and through competing social theories, including structural, cultural and rational choice approaches.It also offers its own synthesis which goes beyond them. The second edition has been revised and updated in the light of recent academic and political developments.For anyone who wants a lucid introduction to the meaning and significance of bureaucracy, and its relation to democracy, this book is essential reading. ... Read more