A bureaucracy is a group of specifically non-elected officials within a government or other institution that implements the rules, laws, ideas, and functions of their institution In other words, a government administrative unit that carries out the decisions of the legislature or democratically-elected representation of a state.
Bureaucracy may also be defined as a form of government: "government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials. A government is defined as: "the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc." On the other hand democracy is defined as: "government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system", thus not by non-elected bureaucrats. Term "bureaucracy" was created from words: fr. bureau – desk or office and gr. κράτος kratos – rule or political power.
Famous quotes containing the word bureaucracy:
“The art of government is the organization of idolatry. The bureaucracy consists of functionaries; the aristocracy, of idols; the democracy, of idolaters. The populace cannot understand the bureaucracy: it can only worship the national idols.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“If you’re going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy; God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won’t.”
—Hyman G. Rickover (1900–1986)
“A bureaucracy is sure to think that its duty is to augment official power, official business, or official members, rather than to leave free the energies of mankind; it overdoes the quantity of government, as well as impairs its quality. The truth is, that a skilled bureaucracy ... is, though it boasts of an appearance of science, quite inconsistent with the true principles of the art of business.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)