ABSTRACT
The government is served by many different bureaucratic organizations, which produce different benefits and serve different groups of clients. The resources of the government include rubles, paid out to bureaucratic organizations in accordance with the government's budget. The development of bureaucratic pluralism has not changed the authoritarian character of the political system. One group of scholars has attempted to update the totalitarian theory by careful reexamination of the original premises of the model. The major works that employ a pluralist approach in the study of the Soviet political system are collections of case studies that examine the influence of specific groups in the policy process. The leading officials in most bureaucratic organizations are also members of the Communist party. Many policy decisions are made by committees representing different interests. Bureaucratic interests can influence the making and implementation of policy in at least three ways: policy consultation, policy initiation, and policy implementation.
