The Case for Bureaucracy persuasively argues that American public servants and administrative institutions are among the best in the world. Contrary to popular stereotypes, they are neither sources of great waste nor a threat to liberty, but social assets of critical value to a functioning democracy. In presenting his case, Goodsell touches on core aspects of public administration while drawing on important, recent events to bring case material and empirical evidence fully up to date.

This new edition incorporates the events of 9/11 to explore their impact on future bureaucratic performance, speaking specifically to the massive reorganization under the new Department of Homeland Security. As well, Goodsell offers a complete assessment of the reinventing government movement and related reforms to show how far bureaucracies have come, while pointing to the challenges they continue to face.

Updating worth highlighting:

• New data on public perceptions of bureaucracy.


• New section on the delegation of policy implementation to contractors and nonprofits.


• New statistics regarding quality-of-life improvements in American society since the 1980s.


• New profiles of real bureaucrats—and citizen interaction with them—giving bureaucracy a human face.


• New material on bureaucratic contributions to the political system that go beyond implementing policy.


• New coverage of the administrative consolidation following 9/11 and competitive outsourcing by the Bush Administration.


• New analysis of current reform proposals focused on market competition and business management practices.


• New proposals for ways to improve bureaucracy.

The Case for Bureaucracy persuasively argues that American public servants and administrative institutions are among the best in the world. Contrary to popular stereotypes, they are neither sources of great waste nor a threat to liberty, but social assets of critical value to a functioning democracy. In presenting his case, Goodsell touches on core aspects of public administration while drawing on important, recent events to bring case material and empirical evidence fully up to date.

This new edition incorporates the events of 9/11 to explore their impact on future bureaucratic performance, speaking specifically to the massive reorganization under the new Department of Homeland Security. As well, Goodsell offers a complete assessment of the reinventing government movement and related reforms to show how far bureaucracies have come, while pointing to the challenges they continue to face.

Updating worth highlighting:

• New data on public perceptions of bureaucracy.


• New section on the delegation of policy implementation to contractors and nonprofits.


• New statistics regarding quality-of-life improvements in American society since the 1980s.


• New profiles of real bureaucrats—and citizen interaction with them—giving bureaucracy a human face.


• New material on bureaucratic contributions to the political system that go beyond implementing policy.


• New coverage of the administrative consolidation following 9/11 and competitive outsourcing by the Bush Administration.


• New analysis of current reform proposals focused on market competition and business management practices.


• New proposals for ways to improve bureaucracy.

CQ Press is pleased to comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Please email heoacompliance@cqpress.com for additional information that may be available. Be sure to include your name, contact information, academic affiliation, and the title, author, and edition of the book in question.

Contact us at collegesales@cqpress.com if we may assist you in your book selection or if you have feedback to share. Thank you for your consideration of CQ Press books.

Tables and Figures
Preface

1. Bureaucracy Despised, Disparaged, and Defended

A Brief for Bureaucracy
A Bit of Bureaucratic History
The Academics Debate Bureaucracy: The Opponents
The Academics Debate Bureaucracy: The Supporters

2. What Citizens Experience from Bureaucracy

Surveying the Surveys
Reflections on the Surveys
Direct Performance Measures
Accomplishments of America

3. More Bureaucracy Myths to Delete

The Myth of Determinism
The Myth of Discrimination
The Business-Is-Better Myth
The Bureaucracy-Is-Backward Myth

4. Ask the Impossible of Bureaucracy? Easy!

No-Win Situations and Red Tape
When Many Governments Act
When Public Action is Dispersed
Solve Those Problems!

5. Looking Closer At Those Bureaucrats

Their Representativeness
Their “Personality”
Their Motivations
Their Lesser–Known

6. Bureaucratic Bigness and Badness Reconsidered

The Size of Bureaucracy
Growth, Aging, and Badness
The Political Power of Bureaucracy
The Political Contributions of Bureaucracy

7. Fads and Fundamentals of Bureaucracy

The Case Recapitulated
The Reforms Reviewed
Bureaucracy’s Fundamentals as Metaphor

Notes
Selected Books
Index

"Professor Goodsell offers a carefully crafted defense of the American bureaucracy. Drawing upon an extensive body of evidence, including public opinion data, comparisons of the public and private sectors, and an analysis of the respective records of public administrators in America and elsewhere in the world, Goodsell convincingly challenges the myth that bureaucracies and the people who populate them are inherently ineffective, undemocratic, or resistant to change. Students will leave the text with a more nuanced understanding of the role of government and administration in America."

"Goodsell provides an honest account of just how valuable public bureaucracies are to our democratic system of government. In a time of terrorist threats and economic uncertainty, when Americans are increasingly turning to government for protection, Goodsell reveals a bureaucratic competence embedded in our public institutions that is most assuredly up to the task. His book is a must read for all students of government and business."

"The Case for Bureaucracy stands as the most coherent and persuasive defense of the American public service available to date. The media, politicians, special interests, academicians, and average citizens all seem quick to point the finger of blame at bureaucracy, but Goodsell exposes the fallacies that perpetuate popular misconceptions and argues forcefully that bureaucracy works quite well."

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.