ABSTRACT
Non-Marxist theorists usually view bureaucracy as a tool of administration which may, under conditions of weak parliamentary representation, play a political role. Thus, Max Weber expressed both the inevitability of the increasing bureaucratization of the "modern state" and the need to control the bureaucracy's propensity to seek power. The first Ben Bella Cabinet retained the bureaucratic structure left by the French colonists. The adoption of this structure required the proper personnel to run it. This was found among members of the petty-bourgeoisie who had been employed in the colonial bureaucracy and among the "Lacoste Promotion." The reform of the wilaya is a development parallel to that of the commune. The "wilaya charter" issued in May 1969 describes the role of the wilaya as the link between the commune and the state. The wilaya is a "decentralized institution." The Algerian bureaucratic structure has been described as showing a lag between conception and execution, the former being ahead of the latter.
