Bureaucrat

A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the government.

The term "bureaucrat" today has largely negative connotations, so those who are the members of a governmental bureaucracy usually prefer terms such as civil servant or public servant to describe their jobs. The negative connotation is fueled by the perception that bureaucrats lack creativity, are unmotivated, and are unresponsive to constituent needs.

Bureaucrat jobs are usually "desk jobs" (the French for desk being bureau), often of a clerical or organizational nature.

Max Weber defined a bureaucratic official as follows:
* 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.

Bureaucrats of the EU are frequently termed eurocrats in the English language in Europe - a portmanteau of European Union (or Europe) and bureaucrat.

Bureaucrats in Fiction

Hermes Conrad is a grade 36 (and later 37) bureaucrat from Jamaica from the TV show Futurama. As the show is set in the 31st century, the premise gives the writers leeway to include mathematical jokes about the progression to more bureaucracy, to the point where people literally spend their whole lifetimes waiting in line. As for Hermes, he manages the Planet Express delivery business with responsibilities that include paying bills, giving out legal waivers, frequently admonishing the staff for not working hard enough, and notifying next of kin. In direct contrast to most stereotypical portrayals of Jamaicans, he is an uptight workaholic (Hermes claims he is anal 78.36% of the time). This was noticed already when he was 4, when a hurricane hit Kingston, leaving Hermes in despair, for it threw his alphabet blocks out of order.

External links

* John Kilcullen, Lecture -- Max Weber: On Bureaucracy
* Michael Link, In Defense of Mandarins
* Ludwig von Mises, Bureaucracy
* "You Who are the Bureaucrats of Empire, Remember Who We Are" by Don Mitchell

See also: Apparatchik, Mandarin.