ABSTRACT
The concept of representative bureaucracy has occupied an important place in the literature of public administration and political science for some three decades. Foremost among the limitations found in the use of the concept of representative bureaucracy has been a tendency to fail to specify the exact sense in which the term "representation" is being used. Moreover, in recent years the creation of a "representative bureaucracy" has become a major objective of federal personnel policy. The links between passive and active representation, and a better understanding of what the latter entails, are, of course, crucial to expanding the utility of the concept of representative bureaucracy. The measure of variation has several important applications with regard to the concept of representative bureaucracy. It is a sensitive measure which enables one to compare the degree of social integration in different organizations and organizational levels.
