Middle Level Bureaucrats: Policy, Discretion and Control

Abstract

Top level bureaucrats have been the standard fare of studies of bureaucracy. Max Weber’s (1988) treatment of the subject, a sheet-anchor for the study of bureaucracy ever since, has been widely interpreted as a reflection on the role of very senior administrative levels and, in particular, their policy-making roles (see also Armstrong, 1973; Suleiman, 1975; 1978; and Aberbach, Putnam and Rockman, 1981). While the lowest levels of bureaucracy have received some attention (Mechanic, 1962), the only serious appearance in the academic literature on administration is as implementers, and most famously as ‘street level bureaucrats’ (Lipsky, 1980; see also Pahl (1977) for a discussion of ‘urban managers’). The middle levels of the bureaucracy have largely tended to be ignored. 2 These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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