PPAS 1110 Study Guide - Final Guide: Muddling Through, Public Choice, Ethnocentrism

• School: York University
• Department: Public Policy and Administration Studies
• Course: PPAS 1110
• Professor: Daniel Cohn

Document Summary

A hierarchical organization of officials appointed to carry out certain public objectives. Main issue was how the rise of capitalism had reshaped society. Bureaucracy mostly serves its own interests by operating the state in a manner that benefits capitalism. Bureaucracy has the capacity to break free from its capitalist hold through its technocratic expertise, but it is not able to overthrow capitalism but instead make it work better. Acknowledged the distinction between civil society and state, but believed that the state and by extension bureaucracy works to further its own interests. State is a function of the ruling class, but at times would break free from the ruling class to further its own interests and not to serve the public interest. Democracy can only develop with the advent of a communist: the state and bureaucracy would wither away, administrative and state functions would be absorbed into society and be carried out in a democratic manner.