Bureaucracy, Public Management Reform, and the Reconfiguration of Public Sector Governance

FORM FOR THE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSED COURSEWORK
Student Number (7 digit number)








Unit Code








Unit Title








this form must be completed and attached to all assessed work.
By submitting this work online using my unique log-in and password, I hereby confirm that this work is entirely my own and that I have watched and understood the References and Plagiarism video. I understand that all marks are provisional until ratified by the Faculty Examination Board.
Please remember to save your work either as a Word document (.doc or as a PDF (.pdf) with the filename [Unit Code_Student Number] e.g. EFIM20002_1794411.docx.
1. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of bureaucracy and evaluate to what extent it still operates in the public sector today. Use relevant examples.
Modern statecraft relies heavily on bureaucracy, originating from the necessity of formalised administrative structures. The UK’s public sector uses bureaucratic principles to ensure organised administration and dependable service delivery. Given its historical development, Max Weber’s discussion of rational-legal authority provides the most concise theoretical foundation for bureaucracy. Weber emphasised the significance of a hierarchical structure governed by predetermined guidelines to ensure that tasks are carried out precisely and impartially. This hierarchy is intended to eliminate arbitrariness and biases, thereby promoting efficiency, along with a focus on impersonal relations. However, while impersonality ensures equality in the provision of services, it also raises questions about the bureaucracy’s capacity to consider unique nuances (Langer, 2022). Additionally, despite fostering consistency, strict adherence to the rules frequently invites criticisms of inflexibility and red tape (Vogel, Vogel, and Reuber, 2022). Thus, while the UK’s public sector’s bureaucracy is essential, it constantly balances efficiency and impersonality.
Despite being frequently viewed as an administrative behemoth, bureaucracy has many advantages, the most important of which are stability and predictability. The foundation of bureaucratic systems is maintaining a rigid administrative procedure, which enables operations to be consistent despite shifting external environments (Lapuente and Suzuki, 2020). For instance, despite shifting political leadership, the UK Home Office consistently issues passports, upholding public confidence. The components of accountability and transparency further support this stability. Each level is accountable to the one above due to the bureaucracies’ inherent chain of command. The UK’s Civil Service Code, which requires civil servants to uphold the principles of integrity, honesty, impartiality, and objectivity, is a clear example. This structure defines roles and fosters public confidence in the system. Comprehensive record-keeping is another one of its strengths. A hallmark of bureaucratic systems, thorough documentation guarantees accountability, historical traceability, and service continuity. It is demonstrated by the fact that the UK’s National Archiv...