ABSTRACT
In modern societies it is difficult to imagine a future without bureaucracy. While criticisms of bureaucracy are ubiquitous, and often justified, few of its critics are prepared to argue that we can do without it entirely. If we are to continue to hold a commitment to mass schooling, funded by the public purse, then some organizing principles for the coordination of activities and resource distribution, and a structure to enforce those principles, would appear to be necessary. If permanent functions are to be carried out in a predictable fashion, informed by a concern for equity, then it is difficult to see how some form of bureaucracy can be avoided. Indeed, as Bernheim (1985: 52) has argued, ‘stable roles seem obviously important, and continuous monitoring of operations is very much preferable to sporadic responses in operations.’ If problems which arise in educational governance are to be tackled rationally and effectively, then careful planning and a coordinated implementation of solutions are clearly preferable to ad hoc attempts to deal with issues. Without bureaucracy, there would appear to be not only uncertainty but also an arbitrary exercise of power.
