Weberian bureaucracy
Also called: Ideal-type bureaucracy · Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Weberian bureaucracy is the German thinker Max Weber's model of an ideal government office. It has six features:
- a clear chain of command (hierarchy);
- written rules;
- each person doing a specialised job;
- impersonality, meaning everyone is treated alike;
- appointment on merit;
- a lifelong career.
The model explains how modern civil services work. Critics say it can become rigid and full of red tape. Merton called this "goal displacement": following the rules becomes the goal itself.
Example
India's administration follows this pattern. Officers are chosen on merit through UPSC examinations. Work moves down a fixed hierarchy: the secretariat, then the directorate, then the district, then the block. Its weakness shows up as red tapism. Class 11 notes that "people are always afraid of these officers".
Don't confuse with
- Development administration: this asks for flexibility, people's participation and results. The Weberian model stresses fixed rules and routine.