Bureaucracy and de-bureaucratization

Abstract

The author intendes to question the conceptual appropriateness of a debureaucratization policy, as it is presented in the Programa Nacional de Desburocratização (De-bureaucratization National Program), and tries to demonstrate that the theme is neither simple nor pacific, in terms of its understanding, as official procedures seem to consider.

Following some general commentaries on the subject in which is emphasized the Weberian model, he presents a comprehensive view of bureaucracy, not only from the positive point of view, but also from the nega tive si de as well.

Both topics of Functional Reason and Substantive Reason are focused, bureaucracy being observed in the light of concepts proposed by a dichotomic view of knowledge, which we are now attempting to re-evaluate.

The author analyzes also some of the effects brought about by the bureaucratic phenomena, as a manifestation of its agents and, finally, tries to evaluate the adequate terminological utilization of bureaucratization and of de-bureaucratization, presenting the two existing trends.