ABSTRACT
Few areas of federal government activity come in for as much opprobrium as does the bureaucracy. As the Weber quote suggests, bureaucracies are supposed to work efficiently. Hierarchy, order,
responsibility, and professionalism are implied by the model of the “ra tional” bureaucrat, yet, according to public folklore, typical federal administrators are the very opposite of this. They are overpaid, inefficient, and wasteful. Worse, they are often the creatures of special interests, and occasionally they are simply corrupt. Surveys have shown, indeed, that the federal government is considered easily the most inefficient of all the major institutions in American society. Moreover, the public’s regard for Washington and public officials has been steadily declining since the 1960s (Figure 10.1).
