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This is a blog for a community of students in Mike Levien's sections of Sociology 101B: "Sociological Theory," in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2009.
Theory Rocks!
This is the informal blog spot for Mike Levien's section of Sociology 101B. For the rest of the semester, we'll use this blog to clarify the work(s) of Durkheim, Weber, Foucault, de Beauvoir, MacKinnon, and Collins. Feel free to endlessly post, and don't forget: Theory Rocks!
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2009
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April
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- Bureaucracy in concrete
- Weber's Rational Bureaucracy within East Bay Conso...
- Bureaucracy and the Human Rights Campaign
- Military and Rational Bureaucracy
- The Spirit of Capitalism
- Rational Bureaucracy and Safe Passage
- Weber's Rational Bureaucracy in Maganda
- An Institution of Rational Bureaucracy
- Weber's Rational Bureaucracy and the Children's Sh...
- Rational Bureaucracy in Professional Baseball
- This short memo illustrates the fundamental featu...
- Rational Bureaucracy in The Western Hemisphere Ins...
- Bureaucracy in School
- Weber's Rational Bureaucracy in Public High Schools
- Rational Bureaucracy in the American Red Cross
- Weber' Bureaucracy in a Middle School Tutoring Agency
- Bureaucracy and the Men's Story Project
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April
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Weber's sense of rational bureaucracy is a system of organization in contrast to patrimonialism and involves no filial, personal connections, but only methodical, rational conduct. Bureaucracy is characterized by six traits. Firstly, bureaucracy works through fixed jurisdiction meaning the duties and rules of the bureaucracy are not malleable by bureaucrats(196). This is opposed patrimonialism in which the ruler will call upon various servants depending on the present need, and their duties are not strictly one role. Secondly, there is a clear hierarchy of positions in which lower officials are subject to the rule of higher officials. Thirdly, the management of a bureaucracy is based upon a system of written documents or files (197) as opposed to rule by custom or tradition. Fourthly, bureaucracy relies on expert training to order who is hired for positions. In In contrast, patrimonialism may rely on levels of loyalty to determine the internal structure of its organization. Fifthly, bureaucracy separates work from family life. Isolating the work place increases efficiency as family affairs are no longer intermingled with work affairs and the official can work full time. Sixthly, bureaucracy manages through rules instead of a patrimonial economy of favors system.
ReplyDeleteFour preconditions for capitalism are a money economy, Roman law, dispossession of officials from control over administration, , and democracy. The money economy allows a set income to be paid to officials so that they do not attempt to gain income independently from the bureaucracy, by such means as tax farming or taking bribes (205). Money also makes a systematic budget possible and calculable (206). Secondly Roman law created the rational basis for bureaucracy by its focus on rationally trained experts and concrete evidence (218). Thirdly, separating the official from administrative control centralizes the bureaucracy, allowing the hierarchy to work unimpeded by independent action (223). Lastly, democracy levels society and strives to abolish old systems of rank and class, creating a society that is highly favorable to the leveling effect of bureaucracy (231).
The US education system matches many of Weber’s bureaucratic characteristics such as written documentation, rules and official training. Students are heavily documented through graded homework, exams and report cards. The work of the student could be summarized by the collected folder of her documents at the end of the school year. The classroom is managed by a system of rules for proper behavior and performance. In addition, the teacher has a set of standards dictated by the state for what he must teach. Lastly, teachers are usually required to obtain a college degree and some sort of licensure, though these license requirements vary by state.
In addition, the US holds the preconditions for bureaucracy such as a money economy, Roman law and democracy. The last condition has especially affected schools, as historically education was reserved only for white males. The 1952 Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education, began the effort to racially integrate schools and treat students of all races equally. Increased efforts for democracy led James Bryant Conant to establish the ETS or Education Testing Service which began administering the SAT in the 1950s. Conant’s initial goal for standardized tests was to equalize admissions criteria and has resulted in the bureaucratic documentation and testing of nearly every college bound US student.
While the US education system seems to match many characteristics of a rational bureaucracy, teacher duties are not bureaucratically fixable. While public schools are held responsible to the state and federal government that funds them, the teacher maintains control of the actual classroom activity. The US Education Department can still impose orders, such as the standards of No Child Left Behind, but the US education system includes systems of state, local and private funding that can help counteract bureaucracy’s attempt to isolate the teacher from administrative control. In addition, the current goals of education, to produce creative, critical thinking, are not easily fixable into a set guideline. Teacher’s need their classroom autonomy to respond to each student and teach most effectively.
I think the school is a really interesting place to study Weber's Bureaucracy. Its fascinating how documentation has taken full force in the entire school system, with the required tests at every level. With the addition of legal rulings, the SATs have become a standard to get into higher education, which corresponds to job opportunities and "life chances" in our society.
ReplyDeleteSomething else to think about is the teacher's union, which i believe is one of the largest unions in America. What is its place in this bureaucracy and how does it tie into the multiplicities of bureaucratic chains of command.
As a last note, I think it is rather scary that everything is so streamlined and "fixed" - especially the education material. Where is the creativity and inspiration from the same old re-hashed stuff.