Key Concepts in Administrative and Political Theory
Foundational Theories of Public Administration
Garcia-Pelayo on Welfare State Administration
Garcia-Pelayo understood that the welfare state administration should be its executive arm. If the welfare state aims to ensure the economic and social status quo, this must be achieved through the administration.
Furthermore, the administration must provide the maximum possible welfare, addressing individual needs that cannot be met by the individual alone.
It should also establish and maintain the law through legislation, while maintaining the separation of powers. Any action by the Administration must be law enforcement, which is known as the principle of legality. The social state signifies a state legitimately subject to the law established by the Constitution.
Max Weber’s Characteristics of Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is often presented as an organization where paperwork multiplies and grows, preventing fast or efficient solutions. The term is often used to describe officers adhering strictly to rules and routines, sometimes leading to organizational inefficiency.
According to Weber, the features characterizing the ideal type of bureaucracy are:
- Legal nature of the rules and regulations.
- Formal nature of communications.
- Specialization and division of labor.
- Impersonality in authority and relationships.
- Hierarchy of offices.
- Technical competence and meritocratic selection.
- Routines and standardized procedures.
- Expertise and Professional Administration.
- Full-time commitment of participants.
Fayol’s Principle of Unity of Command
It is important to have a single authority, because if there is more than one, the members of the organization would not know which decision to comply with. According to Fayol, the duality of command is a continuing, and sometimes very serious, source of conflict.
The Iron Law of Oligarchy (Michels)
Michels proposed the Iron Law of Oligarchy, stating that both autocracy and democracy will always be governed by a minority. Every social group begins with a leader driven by the principles of the mass.
Later, however, the elite seek to perpetuate themselves as such at any price. Organizations, initially a means to achieve certain socio-economic objectives, tend to become an end in themselves. Michels considered this tendency positive.
Merton’s Concept of Dysfunction in Bureaucracy
Dysfunctions are shortcomings, or functions fulfilled by certain individuals or groups that do not contribute to the unity or perpetuation of the culture or society.
For example, the intended function of an individual is the perpetuation of culture through enculturation processes. However, if an individual refuses to participate, this refusal serves as a function (non-perpetuation) but is considered a dysfunction.
Merton viewed bureaucracy as an organization whose desired outcomes are summarized in the anticipation of its operation, aiming for the highest organizational efficiency. When studying the expected impact of bureaucracy, Merton noted the unintended consequences that lead to inefficiency and imperfections.
The Principle of Decentralization in Administration
Decentralization involves the transfer of responsibility from a higher to a lower body, provided there is no transfer of ownership or decrease in subordination.
This transfer can be categorized:
- Devolution (or Deconcentration): Transfer between organs of the same authority or entity. This can be done horizontally (to organs of the same level) or vertically (to subordinate bodies).
- Decentralization: Transfer involving a different Administration or a separate legal personality.