Bureaucratic System and Public Policy

Contents: Preface. 1. Individuals and organisations : some bureaucratic perspectives. 2. Work specification and orientation. 3. Dynamics of bureaucracy and Government. 4. Approaches to public service adaptation. 5. Motivation and control in systems. 6. Reform and adaptation policies : experiences from Europe. 7. Steel Frame : structure and orientation. 8. Administrative options and development : a behavioural analysis. 9. Administration and development strategies : issues in decision-making. 10. Emergent situations and Government organisation. 11. Perspectives and retrospectives. Appendix : a comment on scientific establishment and decision-making. Index.

"Fundamentals for the study of behaviour in any bureaucracy are the inter-related issues of motivation and control. Motivation has to do with the factors that lead individuals to act in a given setting. Types of motivating factors are commonly perceived as being significant in the actions of bureaucrats: a desire for material gain, a desire for ego satisfaction, a desire to avoid mental stress or anxiety, a desire for status recognition, a desire to avoid physical stress or discomfort, and a desire to fulfil internalized social, cultural, or religious norms.

The character of a bureaucracy is greatly shaped by the dominant patterns of motivations and control mechanism that it uses. Control is the observe of motivation. Whereas motivation deals with the forces that lead individuals to act or avoid action in a given situation, control deals with the stimuli that mobilize those forces.

This book has been designed to provide the up-to-date information regarding bureaucratic system and public policy. An attempt has been made to make this book useful for the students as well as the general readers. It will also be useful for all who are interested in this field." (jacket)