Street-level Bureaucrat

Esel

Here's an interesting new job title for you! Came across this the other day when surfing a topic completely unrelated to ES. Interesting last paragraph

Impartiality

Impartiality is a quality that is sought after when employing street-level bureaucrats. An impartial street-level bureaucrat will fairly implement the law, and apply it to all citizens, and not just a select few.

TheNog

It may have been the latest fad in the 1980's to be called a bureaucrat but its nearly a dirty word now.

I dont like these new makey uppey job titles to try to big up any profession but maybe we should be called

"public order eliminators"

or

"ridiculous policy enforcers"

Esel

Your point about the word 'bureaucrat' having a pejorative connotation prompted me to look a bit further (on Wikipedia, which I know is not accepted as a valid resource, but which I have found to be very informative and relatively impartial on most non-controversial subjects). Looking at the entry for bureaucracy, this part struck home:

American science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle has proposed a theory he refers to as "Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy", which states:

"In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely."

This robust tendency is purported to operate to the effect that:

"...in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representative who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions."

Despite the fact that the source of the quotes above is described as a science fiction writer, the points he makes are very apt.

Eru

TheNog wrote: »

It may have been the latest fad in the 1980's to be called a bureaucrat but its nearly a dirty word now.

I dont like these new makey uppey job titles to try to big up any profession but maybe we should be called

"public order eliminators"

or

"ridiculous policy enforcers"

Reminds me of a story my father told me years ago. His jobs went out on strike and the head office sent a man down to negotiate. THis mans advise? Give them all fancy new titled but no money!

metman

esel wrote: »

....the word 'bureaucrat' having a pejorative connotation prompted me.....

Did you swallow a thesaurus or have you been having alphabetti spaghetti for lunch?

dologhli

esel wrote: »

Your point about the word 'bureaucrat' having a pejorative connotation prompted me to look a bit further (on Wikipedia, which I know is not accepted as a valid resource, but which I have found to be very informative and relatively impartial on most non-controversial subjects). Looking at the entry for bureaucracy, this part struck home:

American science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle has proposed a theory he refers to as "Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy", which states:

"In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely."

This robust tendency is purported to operate to the effect that:

"...in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representative who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions."

Despite the fact that the source of the quotes above is described as a science fiction writer, the points he makes are very apt.

Reminds me of that old story of the man getting into trouble at sea off a connemara beach: A woman runs to the lifeguard and says to him "Look! There's some fella calling for help!"
To which the lifeguard nods in agreement.
"Are you not going to help him?!" asks the woman.
"Me?! Sure I can't swim!" replies the lifeguard.
"How'd you get the job?!" asks the woman, in shock.
"I was the only applicant that could speak Irish."