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Is Bureaucracy Inevitable? The Chinese Experience

Oded Shenkar

Open publisher page 28 citations

Abstract

Is bureaucracy inevitable? Can an organization exist without a specialized division of labour and multiple rules, and escape the problems associated with bureaucracy? The present paper discusses the Chinese experience in 'eliminating' bureaucracy throughout history, particularly in the Cultural Revolution. The consequences of this attempt and its aftermath suggest that bureaucratic rules and specialization are inevitable, and that we should try to improve rather than eliminate bureaucracy.

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What this paper is about

Is bureaucracy inevitable? Can an organization exist without a specialized division of labour and multiple rules, and escape the problems associated with bureaucracy? The present paper discusses the Chinese experience in 'eliminating' bureaucracy throughout history, particularly in the Cultural Revolution. The consequences of this attempt and its aftermath suggest that bureaucratic rules and specialization are inevitable, and that we should try to improve rather than eliminate bureaucracy.

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OpenAlex reports 28 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

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Available abstract

Is bureaucracy inevitable? Can an organization exist without a specialized division of labour and multiple rules, and escape the problems associated with bureaucracy? The present paper discusses the Chinese experience in 'eliminating' bureaucracy throughout history, particularly in the Cultural Revolution. The consequences of this attempt and its aftermath suggest that bureaucratic rules and specialization are inevitable, and that we should try to improve rather than eliminate bureaucracy.

Key concepts: Bureaucracy, Division of labour, Cultural revolution, Law and economics, Political science, Positive economics, Sociology, Political economy

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