[PDF] Drechsler Good Bureaucracy: Max Weber and Public Administration

DrechslerGoodBureaucracy:MaxWeberandPublicAdministrationToday©MaxWeberStudies20201GoodBureaucracy:MaxWeberandPublicAdministrationTodayWolfgangDrechslerMaxWeberpassedawayon14June1920attheearlyageof56,fromconsequencesofthelastpandemic-theSpanishFlu(Kaesler2014:15-16).Duringthelast100years,Weber'spositionasoneoftheworld'sgreateconomists,sociologists,socialsciencetheorists,andpublicadministrationscholarshasbeensecure,ifwithupsanddowns.Iwillinthisshorttributefocusonpublicadministration,becauseWeber'seminenceisprobablytheleastcontestedthere-notuncontested,forsure,aseminencemustattractcriticism.Thereare,evenwithinthepagesofMaxWeberStudies,complaintsthatWeberhastoberediscovered-butthesecomplaintsarethemselvespartofthereasonwhythisisnotso,andafortioriinpublicadministration.Upsanddowns yes,bu tWeberremainscen tralinpublicadministration.Atam inimum , wemaysaythatheisthemostim portantpublicadministrationthinkerofhistime,evenofmodernpublicadministration.OnecanthinkwithoragainstWeberinpublicadministration,butbyandlarge,notreallywithouthim.Thiscentralityhasoscillatednotonlyintime,butalsoinspace-heisfamouslysaidtohavereturned,withgreaterprestige,toEuropefromtheUnitedStates,asakindofreimport(Rosser2018).ButevenifWeber,orwhathestandsfor,isdisliked,thattooisoftenatribute.IntheGDR,forinstance,theformerEastGermany,researchandpublishingonWeberandNietzschewasheavilycurtailed,becausespecificallythesetwowereseenasdangerous,providingastheydidacomprehensivechallengetotheMarxistworldview(cf.Busch2006).Weberismostoftenassociatedw ithWeberianbureaucracy,i.e.,hierarchical,career-organized,competence-based,rules-andfiles-basedpublicadm inistrationofthenowtraditionaltype(whenheconceivedofit,thiswaspublicsectorinnovation),outlinedbyashortbutpowerfu lsegmen tofWirtschaftundGesellschaft (1922:124-130).However,WeberwasaWeberianonlytotheexten tthatLuth erwasaLu theranorMarxwas aMarxist:somewhat,butcertainlynottotallyso.Infact,WeberdidnotparticularlylikewhatweunderstandtodayasWeberianpublicadministration,oftenusedinterchangeablywiththeterm'bureaucracy.'Hejustthoughtitwastheoptimaladministrativeform,inthesenseofrationalization,forthetimeandsocietyhewasanalyzing(Germanyattheturnofthe19thtothe20thcentury-bothforthepublicandfortheprivatesector).Nobodywouldhavebeenmoresurprisedthanhimthathisframeworkisstillthemostused-andbest-a100yearslater.Indeed,itisoftenappliedtosystemsforwhichitwasneverintended.Butwhatisimportantisthat,asinthecaseofLutheranismandMarxism,bothwhatWebermeantandforwhathestands,Weber'sactualthoughtandwhat'Weberian'standsfor,inpublicadministrationandotherwise,areinterestingareasofscholarlyinquiry.

DrechslerGoodBureaucracy:MaxWeberandPublicAdministrationToday2Infact, Weberianpublicadministrationinthewid ersensehasbeen,andstillis,much maligned;bureaucracyisaneasytarget,andwhiningaboutitisasteadyfeatureofcomplexhumansocietieswhichalwaysneedandautomaticallygenerateit.AndWeberianpublicadministrationhasitssystemicfaults-slowness,process-orientation,aslipperyslopetoauthoritarian,mindlesshierarchizationandshirking.However,thisbureaucrac yisinits optimalformethics-based,high-capacity,andmotivation-driven.Itismeanttobeb othresponsible-toastatethatisaboveandbeyondparticularinterests-,aswellasresponsive-togroupsandcitizens,butnotatthecostofthecommonweal.Butneoliberalideologyneverbelievedthatthiskindofcivilservicewasreal,orpretendednotto.SoW eberianpublicadministrationbecamethebêtenoireoftheNewPublicManagement(NPM).NPMtransferredeconomicprinciplesandmanagementtheoriesintothepublicspherewithoutrecognizingthecrucial,fundamentaldifferencesbetweenpublicandprivate,notleastasregardsvaluecreation.ItwasadirectreactionagainstwhatwasfelttobetheexcessesoftheWeberianpublicadministrationofthe1970sandbeyond,aswellasaproductoffundamentalistanti-stateideology.Westillstandinfrontofthesmolderingruinsofacapable,responsiblestatebecauseoftheNPMonslaught,andwearestillpayingahighpriceforit.ItistruethatimperialcivilservantsoftheSirHumphreyAppleby-ofYes,MinisterandPrimeMinisterfame-typeexistthatdonotactinthepublicinterest,andtheyexistalot.Thereareplentyofincompetentcivilservantsaswell,andtheworstarethosewhocombinebothfeatures.Buttheresponsible,responsivecivilserviceoftheWeberiantypeexistedandexists,andifthereisanalternativetoitinitsbestform,itwouldbeinterestingtolearnwhatthatcouldbe.TherearevaluablecontributionsofNPM,suchascitizenparticipation,co-production,amanagerialorientation,andafewmore.Societyhaschangedsince1920,too,evenifpublicadministrationnotasmuchwithitasweoftenliketobelieve(DrechslerandKattel2019).TheseaspectshavebeendistilledintoanupdatedmodelofWeberianpublicadministrationthatthelateChristopherPollittandGeertBouckaerthavecalledtheNeo-WeberianState(NWS;2004:96-102).Importantly,theNWSstartswiththeclassicWeberianvariantandincorporatesthelessonslearnedfromNPM-nottheotherwayround.Regardingtheothersideofthetraditionalpoliticalspectrum,approachesthatrailagainstWeberianpublicadministrationandanyformofcivilservice,especiallycentralcivilservice,fromtheperspectiveofCommunityAction,theCommons,orotherformsofgrass-roots,bottom-updecision-making,needtorememberthatWeberianbureaucracy-withallitsfaults-isalsoso methinglike aninsu ranceagainsttheloudes t,therichest,themostpowerfulinsocietydominatingthediscourseandgainingtheirrents.Andsometimescentralcoordinationisnecessary,asisacadreofwell-motivated,competentcivilservantsthatcanactuallyaccomplishsu chfeats-notleastfo rthemoonshotsatthe centerofmission-orientedinnovationpolicytoday(Mazzucato2017).Howeverwedecidetoman agethetransitiontoaCO2-neutralworld-viaGreenGrowthorPost-Growth-thatprocesswillhavetobeimplementedbycompetent,motivated,andyes,Weberiancivilservants.

DrechslerGoodBureaucracy:MaxWeberandPublicAdministrationToday3Thisleadsustothreeaspectsof Weberianpublicadministrationthatareo futmostrelevancefor2020andbeyond.First,ininnovationpolicy,themostsuccessfulsystems,perhapsallsuccessfulones,aremarkedbyagilestabi lity,asRainer Kattel,ErkkiKaroandIhavebeenargu ing(Kattel,DrechslerandKaro2021;2019).Innovationbureaucraciesarenecessarybecausenopolicyimplementsitself,andinnovationbureaucracyecosystemsneedtobecalibratedtowardsmeetingtheneedsofthe specifi csituationwithinthenatio nalinnov ationprocess,sometimesreactinginanagilemanner,sometimesgivingthestabilitythesystemneeds.Itisnotthepointofaninnovationbureaucracytoimitatethekindofinnovativeorganizationofthedaythattheprivatesectorsports;rather,itmaybewisetofulfillthoseneedsnotcoveredbythelatter.Stabilityisalwaysassoci atedwithWe ber;agility,ho wever,moreoftenwithSchumpeter-yetWeberactuallytheorizedbothapproachesaswellastheirinterplay,whichiswhywecallthesetypesWeberIandWeberII.Second,asIhavejustargued,inlinewiththistrainofthought,inthisjournal(Drechsler2020),itwasactuallyWeberwho,inhisbookonConfucianism,recognizedwhytheChineseempirecouldbeaseconomicallysuccessfulasitwas,dominatingtheglobaleconomyacrossmanycenturies,eventhoughitsNeo-Confucianbureaucracywasgearedtowardsstability.(TheansweristheconceptoftheMandateofHeavenwhichprovidedthemandarinsonalllevels,uptotheemperor,withanoverall,severeperformanceindicatorofwhicheconomicsuccesswasakeypart.)Whatisimportantintoday'scontextisthatWeberwasverycarefultothinkincategoriesofnon-WesterncivilizationandNon-WesternPublicAdministration.Iwouldarguethatoverall,hewasnotaone-size-fits-allWesternimperialist,althoughhewascertainlynotfreefromorientalism,inlinewithhistimes.Buthedidacknowledgehisowndeficiencies,yetdidnotusethoseasanexcusenottostudyculturesbeyondwhatherecognizedtobetheWesternmodel.Forhim,Con fucianpublicadministrationwasthemos tsimilar modelto'his',althoughbasedonadifferentmindsetandthuswithdifferenteffectsregardingCapitalism.Becauseofthis,Weberhasremain edafocusofscholarly attentionin allofhisfieldsespeciallyinAsia,andmanyoftheconferencesplannedforthecentennialofhisdeathwereactuallyscheduledtotakeplaceinmainlandChina.Third,itwasoftensurmisedthattheriseofInformationandCommunicationTechnology,theascendancyofe-Governanceandwhatwecalldigitaltransformation,wouldleadustoeithertoNPM-oratleasttosomespecificformofdigital-eragovernance(Dunleavyetal.2005).Notso:infact,whatweseeisthate-governancehasbeenimplementedthebestandmostsuccessfulmostlyinthosecountriesthatattheircorehaveaWeberianbureaucracy,nowagaininth ewidersen se.Some ofthem,such asFinland, seemNPM-likebutunderneathareveryWeberian;others,suchasSingapore,areWeberianinthatwidersense,whileunitingawell -workingWestminsterbureau cracywithConfucianpublicadministration.Othersagain,suchasNewZealand,whichusedtobetheposterchildof

DrechslerGoodBureaucracy:MaxWeberandPublicAdministrationToday4NPM,havelonglearnedtheirlessonandarenowagainWeberian.IwouldgosofartosaythatthereisnocountrytodaythatismoreWeberianinafunctional,ethicalsensethanNewZealand,andthatthisispartofthereasonofwhythatcountryisdoingsoverywell(seeIdeasroom2019),includingtheresponsetotheCOVID-19pandemic.Thelatterisanobservationthat,atleastatthetimeofwriting,canbegeneralized.Overall,thecountriesthathavedealtwiththecrisisinagoodwayaretheConfucianandthedirectlyWeberianones,fromTaiwan(evenifthisis changing),SouthKoreaandV ietnamtoGermany,thatarebuiltonadministrativecompetenceandstateresources(MazzucatoandQuaggiotto2020).Inco ntrast,thosecountries whereadminis trativecapacityhasbeendismantledbyNPM,firstandforemosttheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdom,arefailing.Thisisofcourse nottheonl yreasonf oragoodpandem icresponse,nor isitapparentlysufficient.ItisalsotruethatmanyEastAsiancountriesweresuccessfulbecausetheywerepreparedduetotheSARSepidemicanditsresponse,butthequalityofthatresponse,andinstitutionalmemory,restedonahigh-value,high-capacitycivilservice.Itwouldthereforehardlybefrivoloustosaythattoday,toliveinaplacewithWeberianpublicadministrationornotmaybeamatteroflifeanddeath.Weber,asapersonandasathinker,wasnotperfectandbeyondreproach.Nobodyis.AndWeberianpublicadministration,no rmativelyandempirically,isnottheonlyframework throughwhichtounderstandthepublicsector.YetthesearecaveatsthatdonotdistractfromthecrucialimportanceofWeber'spublicadministrationtheoryanditslegacy.June2020notthebestmonthforstatutes,andWeberneverhadoneanyway.ButhehasabetterDenkmal-astheepitaphtoSirChristopherWreninSt.Paul'scathedralreads:'Ifyousearchforamonument,lookaroundyou.'WestillliveinaWeberianworld,andthereisnoreasontothinkthis willfadeanytime soon.The100thanniversaryMaxWeber'sdeathremindsustocriticallyandconstructivelyengagewithhisthought,ashisthoughtremainsoneofthebestframeworkstoapproachthechallengesofthenext100yearstocome,intellectuallyaswellasfortheimprovementofoneofthekeyfeaturesofhumanexistencetoday.AcknowledgmentsThisshorttributeisaslightlyexpandedandrevisedversionofablogpostontheIIPP-UCLInstituteofInnovationandPublicPurposeblogonmedium(Drechsler2020b),publishedonthedayofWeber'sdeathcentennial.IthankRainerKattelandLaurieMacfarlaneforhelpfulsuggestionsonthatversionandSamWhimsterforaskingmetoreviseitforthepresentpurpose.

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