obstacles to change. Dependence on the bureaucracy is an inescapable
feature of political life for incoming politicians, however sound their popu-
lar support and democratic credentials.
Concepts of bureaucracy
One of the problems when studying bureaucracy is that the term carries dif-
ferent connotations for different people. These will appear as we examine
the way in which political science has integrated the study of bureaucracy
into the analysis of Third World politics. A number of different definitions
have been attached to the term. This conceptual ambiguity can, however, be
put to good use. If we remind ourselves what the different meanings of
bureaucracy are, we can explore the full significance of bureaucracy as a
political force in LDCs, a significance which extends well beyond the
implementation of public policy.
‘Bureaucracy’ is sometimes used simply to refer to government adminis-
trative agencies staffed by public servants. It is synonymous with public
administration, consisting of organizations set up as part of the modern state
to carry out the policies of decision-makers. The state needs specialized
institutions for implementing public policy and employs large numbers of
people who make it their career to serve the state in a professional capacity.
The bureaucracy thus refers to the public services and the organizations into
which they are structured. It is a category of governmental personnel and
offices that are filled in a particular way. It tells us no more about the way
those organizations function or about the political power that the bureau-
cracy might exercise either over the formulation of public policies or their
mode and even degree of implementation.
Another meaning of bureaucracy that may be identified, however, identi-
fies a particular kind of organizational structure in which people are recruited
into positions of authority in a special way. This is the classic Weberian con-
cept of bureaucracy. Bureaucracy for Weber was the most advanced form of
human organization that society had devised and the most rational means for
the performance of collective tasks, especially those requiring large-scale
organization. This clearly implies that organizations are not all bureaucratic.
Some may be more bureaucratic than others. Insofar as they are, they have
clearly distinguishable features. They have clear lines of command from one
level of a hierarchy to another. Recruitment to positions or offices within a
bureaucracy will be on the basis of merit demonstrated by the acquisition of
relevant qualifications or success in a competitive entry test. Officials are
Bureaucracy and Political Power 157