Control of the Bureaucracy: A Mismatch of Incentives and Capabilities

Abstract

The preparation of an invited paper imposes a cost on the academic: although normally in his general field of interest, the assigned topic seldom coincides exactly with the subject of his current thinking and writing. Thus, the assignment entails a temporary shifting of mental gears. At the same time, the preparation of an invited paper presents the academic with an opportunity: the question he is asked to address normally is a matter of concern among those who deal with the real world and its attendant problems. Thus, he is challenged to make his work relevant to those concerns. For me the expected benefits of the opportunity exceed the expected costs of the effort, so you have before you an attempt to distill something of redeeming social value from my recent research. The nature of this forum leads me to depart from the usual academic style in two respects, however. First, the paper which follows is a mixture of academic research and personal point of view, not a detached, dispassionate analysis. Second, in the interests of clarity, I have not burdened my argument with the numerous qualifications which customarily accompany academic discussions. I am sure that my fellow participants will suggest the needed qualifications.

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