Bureaucracy: Obstructing or Facilitating Development?

Abstract

The growth of bureaucracy has been a leading feature of twentieth century development. Whether one looks at OECD countries, former and present communist countries or the nations of the Third World bureaucratization is ubiquitous. In developing countries the organizations of the state have high visibility and assume great importance but interpretations of what they do and how they do it vary considerably. In many cases the public service is blamed for poor developmental performance. Bureaucracy is, nevertheless, an essential and vitally important instrument of development. Even the most ardent proponents of the virtues of the market now admit this. In some instances bureaucracies have made a considerable contribution to development. Such desirable outcomes are possible and with appropriate action can become more frequent.