Critical Approaches to the Study of State Bureaucracy: A Latin-American Perspective

In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Band 31, Heft 4, S. 661-681

Abstract

Suggested is an analytical perspective showing those substantive & environmental factors which give the state bureaucracies of Latin America their specific character. Pointed out is the emphasis placed on private organizations by those dealing with administrative & organizational questions, & its consequences for a study of state institutions. Taking state machinery as a separate unit of analysis, considered is its field of competence & action as an arena where political conflicts & historical processes take place, through a complex set of interactions that make the boundaries between state & civil society unclear, & increase the heterogeneity of the bureaucracy. The role of the state is reviewed, noting the intrinsically conflicting nature of the bureaucracy's functions & the way in which its performance & productivity should be understood. Bibliography. Modified AA.