In Praise of Bureaucracy

Paul du Gay is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at The Open University

`Paul du Gay takes the current discourse over managerialism in government to newer, deeper and richer intellectual realms. He deepens our understanding of Weber′s theory of bureaucracy, disposes of superficial moral critiques of the concept and shows how the bureaucratic form of organization occupies a distinctively justified place in democratic life′ - Charles Goodsell, Virginia Tech`This is an important book. Writing with clarity and precision and drawing on a rich array of sources, Paul du Gay dissects the philosophical and managerialist criticisms of bureaucracy and exposes their assumptions and weakness... In Praise of Bureaucracy makes a substantial and very welcome original contribution to social theory, and to the study of management and organizations′ - Richard Brown, Univeristy of Durham`In this controversial, but compellingly argued book, Paul du Gay contests both the conventional romantic critique of "bureaucracy" and the fashionable New Public Management philosophy espoused by New Labour, which seeks to "entrepreneurialize" the "conservative forces" represented by any commitment to the distinctive ethos of public office′ - Stuart Hall, The Open University and Goldsmiths College, Univeristy of London

• IntroductionBureaucratic MoralityPART ONE: THE RELIGIOUS AND ROMANTIC ORIGINS OF ′BUREAU CRITIQUE′Alasdair MacIntyre and the Christian Genealogy of ′Bureau Critique′Bauman′s Bureau′Modernity′, Identity, EthicsThe Anti-BureaucratsContemporary Managerial Discourse and Charismatic AuthorityPART TWO: ENTREPRENEURIAL GOVERNANCE AND THE BUREAUCRATIC ETHOSOffice as a Vocation? Entrepreneurial Governance and Bureaucracy-Critique′Vitalizing′ State BureauxSome Ethico-Political Consequences of ′Re-Inventing Government′Separate and Distinct Personae′Bureaucrats′ and ′Politicians′ConclusionThe Ethos of Office and State Interest