The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic

The Case for Bureaucracy persuasively argues that American public servants and administrative institutions are among the best in the world. Contrary to popular stereotypes, they are neither sources of great waste nor a threat to liberty, but social assets of critical value to a functioning democracy. In presenting his case, Goodsell touches on core aspects of public administration while drawing on important, recent events to bring case material and empirical evidence fully up to date.

This new edition incorporates the events of 9/11 to explore their impact on future bureaucratic performance, speaking specifically to the massive reorganization under the new Department of Homeland Security. As well, Goodsell offers a complete assessment of the reinventing government movement and related reforms to show how far bureaucracies have come, while pointing to the challenges they continue to face.

Updating worth highlighting:

• New data on public perceptions of bureaucracy.


• New section on the delegation of policy implementation to contractors and nonprofits.


• New statistics regarding quality-of-life improvements in American society since the 1980s.


• New profiles of real bureaucrats―and citizen interaction with them―giving bureaucracy a human face.


• New material on bureaucratic contributions to the political system that go beyond implementing policy.


• New coverage of the administrative consolidation following 9/11 and competitive outsourcing by the Bush Administration.


• New analysis of current reform proposals focused on market competition and business management practices.


• New proposals for ways to improve bureaucracy.