Revision:Weber's Study of Bureaucracy

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This relates to the section entitled "Bureaucracy" in "From Max Weber", translated and compiled by Gerth and Mills, P.196. The original chapter appears in "Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft".

Context

Weber first touched on Bureaucracy in 1908 in his studies on Economies of Antiquity. The most part, however, appears in Economy and Society. It was meant to be a small part of a much larger section on domination.

Origins of Bureaucracy

Weber begins by tracing the development of modern administration. He suggests that states that had a political organisation centered around officialdom were the germ of modern bureaucracies. Examples of such states were the Germanic and Mongolian empires.

Weber lists six types of bureaucratic structure:

• The Judiciary
• The Modern Agency
• The Military
• Religious communities - required to administer believers
• States - that control policy and policing
• Economies - that distribute goods and coordinate functions

Administratively Ordered Societies Vs. Bureaucratic Societies

Weber believes that bureaucratisation is a development of modern society. He undertakes a study of older societies, that although awash with scribes and other such administrative staff, were not bureaucratic societies.

For example, European Feudal Societies were subject to "patrimonal administration", not bureaucracy. The head of the estate was the lord, who controlled decisions personally. Communication was personal, not written. Powers were defined by custom rather than written law. The head of the household was also controlled by custom rather than by written law. This gave the the lord a wide range of discretionary powers. All offices were considered part of the lord's personal staff.

Contrast this with the situation in modern societies. The administrative seat in the office, not the household. Administrative activity is subject to the principles of office management. Authority is hierarchical. Administrative authority is bound by legal rules, rather than personal command. Administrative functions are bound technical, documented procedure. The implementation of rules is bound by legal commands. Finally, in modern societies, communication is written, with files and records kept of communications.

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