We are about to change focus to what is that we are actually doing in modern, bureaucratic, daily life. The story goes a little like this: 200,000 + years humans are hunter gatherers, then 10,000 years farmers (producing what they consume and consuming what they produce) then for last 150+ years urban industrial complexes. People now work for money which they exchange for necessities. Individuals are no longer capable of self-sufficiency. We cannot (as rule) produce adequate food, shelter, or other necessities by ourselves. To live, we are absolutely dependent upon others. We need paychecks or paycheck substitutes, farmers, builders, electricity, sociology professor, etc. just to continue to be alive.
The very structure that holds our world together, the structure that is as important to us now as roving herds antelopes were 200,000 years ago. Weber provides us with a historical context and the basic outline of what characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy are: fair, just, comprehensible, purposeful, rule driven, consistent, etc. are (note: ideal means a perfect example which like all things perfect does not really exist. It is an imaginary model against which we contrast what we actually find in the real world.)
We are now going to take a look at work done by a fellow named Michael Lipsky. He did his research, which is still valid, in the 1970’s. Up dated and revised editions of his book Street-level Bureaucrats is available, but it costs money. The core principles of the work remain the same and so I use the original edition which has the feature of being available for free.
I want you do read and think about what a street-level bureaucrat is (Hint: I, a sociology instructor at a university, am one). Then I want you pick a street-level bureaucracy that is of interest, relevance, and/or importance to you. This might be where you work, or were you want to work with your education. Or someplace you volunteer, or someplace that provides you vital services, school, church (yes, even churches – the modern mega-church would be impossible without a functioning bureaucracy. Pastors in a mega-church are street level bureaucrats).
Pick an institution that you feel you will be happy with through to the end of the class.
Briefly describe the institution (street-level bureaucracy), what is its function, who are the street-level bureaucrats, and what is their critical role.
The goal going forward is to keep going back to the same institution for each future discussion and thereby build a final project.