ABSTRACT
Bureaucracy compartmentalizes people into roles. Social tensions in Western democracy have been framed by contrary logics of bureaucratization and participation, undergirded by a change of scale in institutions leading to a profound shift in functions. The term "postindustrial" is often employed as a hygienic way of saying "authoritarian" in an age of public-sector dominance; or at least, it suggests the ascendance of policy over politics. The relationship of public administration to economics, sociology, political science, and psychology speaks of an insecure search for broader meaning. Certain characteristics of bureaucracy prevail over policymaking concerns in the art of governance. The specific functions of various branches of government will appear more rational in a context of opposition, or at least functional differentiation of administrative bureaucratic tasks. Whatever the nature of the economic system, our epoch bears witness to a constant expansion in state power, growth in bureaucratic norms, and an increase in administrative domination and disposition of people.
