A
bureaucrat is a member of a
bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a
government. Bureaucrat jobs were often "desk jobs" (the French for "desk" being
bureau, though bureau can also be translated as "office"), though the modern bureaucrat may be found "in the field" as well as in an office.
History
Max Weber defined a bureaucratic official as the following:
- He is personally free and appointed to his position on the basis of conduct
- He exercises the authority delegated to him in accordance with impersonal rules, and his loyalty is enlisted on behalf of the faithful execution of his official duties
- His appointment and job placement are dependent upon his technical qualifications
- His administrative work is a full-time occupation
- His work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career
- He must exercise his judgment and his skills, but his duty is to place these at the service of a higher authority. Ultimately he is responsible only for the impartial execution of assigned tasks and must sacrifice his personal judgment if it runs counter to his official duties.
- Bureaucratic control is the use of rules, regulations, and formal authority to guide performance. It includes such things as budgets, statistical reports, and performance appraisals to regulate behavior and results.
As an academic,
Woodrow Wilson professed:
[ ] Bureaucrats of the
EU are frequently termed "eurocrats" in the English language in
Europe - a
portmanteau of the
European Union (or Europe), and bureaucrat.
In
Imperial China, bureaucrats largely composed the social elite. Known in Europe as
Mandarins, after the
Portuguese word for 'councillor', this variety of bureaucrats passed a set of complicated examinations and were posted throughout the empire.
As depicted in the arts
See also
