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Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do And Why They Do It Paperback – January 30, 1991

by James Q. Wilson (Author)

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The classic book on the way American government agencies work and how they can be made to work better -- the "masterwork" of political scientist James Q. Wilson (The Economist)

In Bureaucracy, the distinguished scholar James Q. Wilson examines a wide range of bureaucracies, including the US Army, the FBI, the CIA, the FCC, and the Social Security Administration, providing the first comprehensive, in-depth analysis of what government agencies do, why they operate the way they do, and how they might become more responsible and effective. It is the essential guide to understanding how American government works.

Print length

464 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Basic Books
Publication date

January 30, 1991
Dimensions

5.38 x 1.38 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0465007856
ISBN-13

978-0465007851
Lexile measure

1460L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"May well be the best book now available on bureaucracy in America."―Paul Starr, The New Republic

"Wilson is our Weber and this is his summa ... A sprightly, irreverent and profoundly serious inquiry as to how you make a nation work."―Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"A gold mine of interesting, even unique observations about bureaucratic government on all levels."―Christian Science Monitor

"Immediately takes its place as the indispensable one-volume guide to American national administration."―Aron Wildavsky, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Wilson is a remarkably clear thinker. It is unlikely that anyone in the foreseeable future will master so much research about so many agencies at the government level."―Tom Peters, The Washingtonian

About the Author

James Q. Wilson (1931-2012) was a professor at Harvard, UCLA, and Pepperdine University. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003, among numerous other honors. He is also the author of Moral Sense and Moral Judgement, among many other books.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; First Edition (January 30, 1991)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465007856
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465007851
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1460L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.38 x 1.38 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #78,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #121 in United States National Government
- #415 in Behavioral Sciences (Books)
- #629 in Economics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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4.5 out of 5

157 global ratings

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Oisin

A Classic Study of Bureaucracy

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book is a classic study of bureaucracies and is well worth the time and effort needed to try to understand bereaucratic behavior. Wilson does a good job with the parts of this topic I am most familiar with and their controversies. He is on target discussing the various armed forces positions on the close air support issue and correct about Navy community differences. He makes excellent points about the frequent comments that the military fights the last war with sharp rebuttals of this view. Some aspects of the book are relevant to current controversies. The consulate bombing in Libya is an outgrowth of his views of the importance of organizational culture in the State Department and its tendency to downplay security concerns. Anyone who wants to try to understand the differences between public and private sector actions and goals should read this book. It is rich in meaningful examples throughout the text.

5 people found this helpful

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Dan

Outstanding, insightful, fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

I've worked with USAID for 20 years and my immediate research interest was narrow, but I found the stories and insights to be most very illuminating. You would think a book about bureacracy to be dreadfully dull but in fact it is a book about people, motivations, success and failure, about organizations dealing with war, education, poverty, justice, and other topics of vital social interest. For anyone working with public or private organizations, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. From first hand, I can tell you that the observations about state department are spot-on, really useful. How organizations are created, and then how they develop and change, is very intresting. This book is right up there with ..., I think that only Drucker is in the same rank.

6 people found this helpful

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Javier Calderón Abullarade

Local analysis, but a good start for understanding how bureaucracies work

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

It is a good source of information, however it is mainly based in the American bureaucratic experience, so the analysis cannot be generalized to the entire world. But, it is useful to use his categories to try to explore different bureaucratic systems worldwide. Really well written, and structured. Easy to read, easy to understand. A must for anyone studying PolSci, Politics, Political Theory, Political Philosophy, History, and Public Policy and Government.

One person found this helpful

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Andrey

A must read for everyone, who at least once ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

A must read for everyone, who at least once in a life said: "Ahh, these damn bureaucrats!". Very detailed description of how bureaucracy works, why it may work so badly, and why it will always have its problems, no matter, which party or president. Also, gives a quite clear understanding of why you should never compare bureaucracy and the private sector!

2 people found this helpful

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Michelle Buehlmann

Best book on Bureaucracy ever!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2017

Verified Purchase

I have a master's degree in public administration and am working on a PhD in political science, so I have read a lot of stuff on government and bureaucracy/public administration. This is by far my favorite book! It is long and takes time to get through and really get all the points, but it is worth the effort. Love this book.

3 people found this helpful

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Newsman78

Wonderfully written

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2005

Verified Purchase

Wilson, as usual, writes amazingly well in this comprehensive book covering bureaucracies, how they operate, and why bureaucrats act the way they do.

He discusses the different organizational features that persist across all bureaucracies, and why it is that once a bureaucracy is created it's almost impossible to get rid of. This may pique your interest if you've been following the recent attempts to solve our intelligence problems by adding more layers of bureaucrats, as if that will somehow solve the problem.

Highly recommended to all students of American politics.

13 people found this helpful

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Bill Baehr

A Must Read for Dealing With the Beast

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book thoroughly explains the ways of bureaucracy a.k.a.known as the "system" or i call it the 'beast". The beast touches every aspect of our existence so understanding its inhuman and bizarre behavior is critical for a chance at human survival. Don't be an easy victim for the beast. Learn its ways and give it a good fight.

2 people found this helpful

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Kori

... lot of repetition but overall this reading gives a great framework for understanding specific

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

A lot of repetition but overall this reading gives a great framework for understanding specific organizations

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Top reviews from other countries

William

Really a great book and I gained a lot insight why government does certain things in certain way

Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

Highly recommend

Robin Davy

The variations in "Beaurocray and how to render them effective.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

Am stll reading this book together with others!

Amazon Customer

useful studying aid

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2012

Verified Purchase

Not my usual choice of book, but necessary for the management course I am doing. Very useful for studying with explanations of theories etc.. Good to pick out the particular section you need.
The book arrived within the time given, good packaging, would recommend seller.

One person found this helpful

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