Sunday, April 12, 2009
An Institution of Rational Bureaucracy
The ASUC is a unique institution in that it modeled after the United States Government. Without being paid, the executive and senate officials are elected by a body of students. These students are slated to make change and represent the voice of the students on campus. The ASUC is a form of Weber's rational bureaucracy in the sense that it is hierarchical in structure, treating its constituents as a democracy in order to try to address all issues on campus.
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An Institution of Rational Bureaucracy
ReplyDeleteIn a large organization, one must create an efficient way of achieving goals (W214). Through this idea, Weber introduces two forms of power, rational bureaucracy and patrimonialism. These two diametrically opposed institutions differ in both structure and relationship where rational bureaucracy remains impartial, impersonal, and the most efficient way, according to Weber, to run a large organization.
A rationally bureaucratic organization features six elements inherent to the structure of the institution. The institution must be hierarchal in structure, bureaucrats are expertly trained to overlook a fixed jurisdiction based on management through documents and rules (W196). As a fulltime official, work and home are separated, preventing personal matters from interfering with business (W197-198). The patrimonial structure is opposite to the bureaucratic structure based on loyalty and personal ties with personal trustees, table companions, and court-servants (W198). With no clear hierarchy, management through reputation and word of mouth are key, creating relationships based on privileges and favors (W198). Thus, the bureaucratic structure becomes more efficient, placing accountability on individual offices whose tasks are clearly defined.
A position in an office must be treated as a vocation, where bureaucrats must maintain a sense of purpose and commitment to their duties (W198). Five incentives are imperative to ensure his responsibilities. An office position is “…considered an acceptance of a specific obligation of faithful management in return for a secure existence” (W199). Fulltime employees must be appointed, therefore holding accountability towards their supervisors instead of a group of constituents if elected (W198). Officials enjoy a sense of social esteem, salary compensation according to the position held, and tenure for life. This avoids arbitrary dismissal, allowing the bureaucrat to work autonomously, with career advancement in mind (W199-203).
In order for bureaucracy to emerge, four historical preconditions must exist. A money economy is required to support the salaries of officials in each of the positions. Salaried positions help to control purchasing power (W205). The institution needs specialization. Bureaucrats must be expropriated from the administration. Designated tax farmers in different parts of the country collect the tax money to pay the salaries of those in office (W204). Procedural rationality must be implemented when making decisions, ignoring the specifics of each individual case (W219). Weber states that bureaucracy comes with the development of democracy. Assessing individual cases is time consuming and costly, therefore everyone must be treated impartially (W224).
The Associate Students of the University of California (ASUC) is a form of Weber’s rational bureaucracy, with minor differences. The existence of this institutional organization is to represent the voice of the students on campus. Many of the offices do not follow Weber’s ideal rational bureaucracy, officials are unpaid and elected by students on campus. However, there is a clear fixed jurisdiction where offices are specialized to focus on different aspects of campus. These elected officials, the Senate and Executive slate, are held accountable to the students on campus. However, within the individual executive offices are those who are appointed on a voluntary basis. These offices are fixed, hierarchal positions that are held accountable to one of five bureaucrats on the ASUC Executive slate. The ASUC is organized through management of documents and rules. The constitution and bylaws are comprised of twenty-seven individual documents depicting different rules of the student government. Senate meetings are transcribed and posted for public viewing, which allows for transparency. Much like Foucault’s panopticon, ASUC politicians have the perception that students on campus are watching them.
By rising through the political rankings from senator to executive office, or by being appointed one of four positions: intern, director, deputy chief of staff, or chief of staff, those in office are expertly trained. These rankings promote careerism as individuals rise through the different stages and learn the ropes of the ASUC. Located in Eshelman Hall, the distinction between home and office is clearly defined. Voluntarily running for these positions, the officers treat the ASUC as a vocation, each with a goal in mind. Each official is slated into office for one school year, and oversee the coordination of different projects and grants by those in their office.
For the ASUC, Weber’s notion of a money economy exists in a convoluted form. The ASUC distributes over $140,000 in student education fees to various students and student groups on campus. The distribution of this money goes through Senate, where 20 elected officials vote on various bills that are written requesting money. Although the elected officials are not paid, their jobs are subject to criticism and recall if they do not satisfy their constituents by fairly allocating money that has come directly from student’s tuition. While the ASUC hopes to improve the experience for all students, the mass amount of students on campus force those in the ASUC to treat students as a democracy, with procedural rationality in order to focus on a larger, university-wide change. It is only when those on the Executive slate or in the Senate become corrupt that certain groups are targeted and favored within the ASUC.
Operating through impartiality within the bureaucratic institution, officials take on tasks in an impersonal, consistent, and committed way in order to be the most efficient. With such a large group to address, officials must treat the UC Berkeley student population as a democracy.