Local News in Brief : Irvine : Growth of Bureaucracy Outlined in New Study
Public demands for governmental reforms often lead to increased bureaucracy, according to William Stevenson, assistant professor of administration in UC Irvine’s Graduate School of Management.
Stevenson’s conclusion is based on his study of the financial branches of the city governments of Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit from 1890 to 1975. His study, “Change in the Structure of Bureaucracy: a Longitudinal Analysis,” was published in the journal Sociological Perspectives.
Stevenson said that following the election of mayors who pledged reform in each of those cities, changes were made in each city government. While the changes did bring positive reforms, they added to the bureaucratic structure, Stevenson said.
“The case of these three cities is not an unusual situation--the study shows that historically, bureaucratic systems have tended to create new units and add them to the existing bureaucracy without eliminating or merging obsolete units,” Stevenson said.
“What you end up with is a Catch-22 situation in which government budgets continue to grow despite attempts to streamline bureaucracy.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
