The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic (Public Administration and Public Policy) [Paperback]

Charles T. Goodsell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1566430070 | ISBN-13: 978-1566430074 | Publication Date: January 1994 | Edition: 3rd

In this revised third edition the author sharpens his defence of the American public service. Attacking both the popular stereotypes and some more caustic criticism by academics in the field of public administration, this book presents substantial statistical data, buttressed by personal observation, to demonstrate the author's theory that American government is actually more competent, successful and steadfast than most people realise. In support of his argument, the author cites positive productivity figures and surveys of citizen response to actual contacts with such notorious bureaucratic offenders as the Postal Service and public welfare offices. Again and again he finds there is convincing evidence that the American public service performs its assigned duties with a degree of efficiency and democratic responsibility that deserves appreciation and acclaim rather than habitual disparagement by politicians and the press.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles T. Goodsell is Professor Emeritus at the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His other books include The American Statehouse: Interpreting Democracy's Temples; Public Administration Illuminated and Inspired by the Arts, co-edited with Nancy Murray; The Social Meaning of Civic Space: Studying Political Authority Through Architecture. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chatham House Publishers; 3rd edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566430070
• ISBN-13: 978-1566430074
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,473,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Hate Bureaucracy, I Love Bureaucrats Syndrome, December 19, 2001

By 

Tansu Demir (Springfield, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic (Public Administration and Public Policy) (Paperback)

So far, much has been written about the evils of bureaucracy, but less has been written about the accomplishments of bureaucracy. Generally, the message given by popular literature regarding government bureaucracy was one-sided and too far from completeness. In this book, the author tries to draw a complete picture of government bureaucracy. In contrast to popular bureaucracy-bashing writing, Goodsell reaches surprisingly interesting conclusions that contradict long-held beliefs toward public bureaucracy.

The overall characterization of government bureaucracy within popular culture reflects that government bureaucracy is overstaffed, inflexible, unresponsive and power hungry. In forming such an image, media and academia have played a crucial role, according to the author. The economists are hostile to government bureaucracy on the basis that competitive markets and profit incentives are feasible means to obtain efficiency; sociologists are concerned with pathologies of bureaucracy; and so on. However, generally, criticism of bureaucracy is not well supported by empirical data. As being different from those who attack bureaucracy based on unfounded assumptions most of the time, Goodsell supports his arguments with empirical data that have been obtained from citizen surveys. In my opinion, the reason for the case is very well presented and worthy of careful reading.

One of the arguments of the author is that critiques of government bureaucracy fall prey to the mistake of seeing bureaucracy as a whole (a form of abstraction), and ignoring the differences between different public agencies. Goodsell aptly illustrates how public agencies greatly differ from each other in terms of performance, conduct and so on. Also, citizen surveys support the fact that ordinary citizens are glad from their relationships with government bureaucracy in their local neighborhoods. However, as a general concept, bureaucracy is an oxymoron (this paradox, in literature, is called "the paradox of distance", that is, ordinary citizens are happy with their business with bureaucracy and bureaucrats, but they have negative attitudes toward `bureaucracy'-the more distant the bureaucracy the more the negative attitude is).

Not only Goodsell examines accomplishments of government bureaucracy, but also he convincingly demonstrates the facts that impede the expected success of the government bureaucracy, including vague goals given to bureaucracy, the problems of coordination created by excessive outsourcing (administration by proxy), the complexity of social problems that government bureaucracy deals with, efficiency and equity conflict, and the like. In handling the subject, this book is very comprehensive, and the author files an excellent and convincing case. Not easy to summarize all the points, however all popular myths regarding government bureaucracy I (probably you) have heard are answered in the book with tremendous clearness.

Overall, I highly recommend this classic to anybody who is interested in government bureaucracy. I also recommend "The Spirit of Public Administration" by George Frederickson, and "Bureaucracy" by James Wilson. The case for bureaucracy is a case for bureaucracy, and you are the members of the Jury. The final decision is up to you.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Critique of The Case for Bureaucracy, May 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic (Public Administration and Public Policy) (Paperback)

I never thought that I would find myself reading a book that was in favor of bureaucracy. Being a skeptic, I thought that every second spent reading this book would be a waste of time. However, I was surprised at how Charles T. Goodsell makes you want to jump on the bureaucracy bandwagon. Charles Goodsell has done a fair job on his book "A Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic." Goodsell looks at several of the preconceived notions that are held by the general population about the size, structure, hierarchy, and organization of the bureaucracy regardless whether it is in federal, state, or local governments. Goodsell begins each chapter with a great deal of enthusiasm but runs out of steam when it comes to making a solid argument for bureaucracy in some of the areas discussed. The author obviously has an affinity for statistics, which he uses throughout ninety percent of his book. Goodsell tries to rely on data that was collected some twenty to thirty years ago. The public sector has undergone numerous changes since some of these surveys were conducted. Some of the studies that he uses such as comparisons between Detroit and Delhi, I found somewhat irrelevant. Charles T. Goodsell makes a strong case for the bureaucracy in the United States. His unique approach will convince many that the bureaucracy is open, flexible, and even willing to change. However, I feel that because of his outdated and irrelevant surveys and studies, which he uses throughout his book, which these detract from rather than make the case in favor of bureaucracy. The book is a noble attempt to win citizens over to the idea that the bureaucracy is a polite, customer service oriented, friendly, and helpful group of 20 million individuals that are there to serve them. I am not sure that even the most well written defense of the bureaucracy will alleviate the notions that are held by most citizens.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good information but..., May 14, 2010

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A. Curtis (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Case For Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic, 4th Edition (Paperback)

This is required reading my graduate-level public administration course. The books contains some good information, but the deceptively personable style at the beginning degenerates into a morass of facts, figures, and study summaries. The thoughts and ideas were good but the approach and voice seem inconsistent.