Bureaucracy is frequently discussed with disdain — as if bureaucracy is a foul word and an even fouler system. Bureaucracy is not.
Bureaucracy is a system and process to provide safety and security for people who use the systems.
To be clear, the systems we all use are part of a bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is more than government. Bureaucracy is the process associated with everything we do from ordering food, buying tickets for an entertainment event and how we go about doing our jobs. All of these activities are part of a system so that we can be safe and secure.
As of late, the drumbeat against bureaucracy is growing louder and louder, especially from the same people who are responsible for securing the bureaucracy.
In order for our systems to ensure safety and security, these systems are responsible for oversight to ensure the various organizations and structures are following the rules and procedures to ensure we remain safe. In order to effectively ensure these protections, the bureaucracy provides oversight through auditing, ensuring compliance and noting any violations.
The challenge we have is the drumbeat against oversight comes from those who perform the oversight as well as those who must adhere to the oversight. One could argue it appears to be a conspiracy against our best interests.
However, what we do not fully appreciate is oversight is critical for two reasons: general welfare of the people and fiscal responsibility.
The general welfare of the people is one of the tenants of our government. Under social contract theory, the people give up some of our civil liberties in exchange for safety and security of the government. We enter into this agreement that government will protect the people because a functioning representative democracy demands so.
Since the 1980s, elected officials began to loudly question social contract theory and slowly, the people started to agree. We see this agreement when people call for “reducing government” or speaking disparagingly about bureaucrats.
When we reduce government, we increase unemployment. When we reduce government, we overwork the existing public servants. When we reduce government, we take away oversight capabilities to ensure our food is safe to eat, our entertainment activities will not result in death or harm because of system failures and our water is safe to drink.
More fundamentally, we confuse bureaucracy with items we disagree with, yet forget the invisible hands of our society. Our teachers, police officers, fire fighters, election workers, poll workers, food safety inspectors and all those in our systems who do the work to ensure safety and security are part of that government, that bureaucracy the drumbeat includes. Now, some will say these workers are not the ones who should be part of reducing government. If we accept this to be true, then who specifically are the workers we need to reduce in our government?
The continued reduction in government has created challenges in our society, including decreasing trust in our government and elected officials.
The Peach Pulse
Become a founding subscriber
Get PeachPol’s exclusive Georgia political reporting and analysis — and lock in your founding subscriber rate as long as your subscription remains active.
The second critical reason for our bureaucracy is fiscal responsibility — being fiduciaries of public money.
Taxpayers in Georgia pay numerous types of taxes including sales, property, income and vehicle. Tax dollars go to fund our government to perform the vital elements of a functioning society. The bureaucracy ensures these vital functions of public safety, education and infrastructure by doing the work and ensuring the tax dollars collected by the state and municipalities are used effectively and appropriately.
Ensuring the money is used properly is part of oversight. Taxpayers expect the tax dollars to be spent as required to maintain essential functions. However, since the 1980s, the demonization of the bureaucracy has increased, diminishing oversight. The lack of oversight to catch gaps in safety and security can lead to tragic events where people are harmed or there is the loss of life.
We know about the challenges with Fulton County Jail and its consent decree with the federal government and more recently a challenge with the DeKalb County Jail and Six Flags. The challenges being affirmed and alleged include the lack of oversight of the government entity to ensure safety and security which led to the loss of life and the long-term impact on people’s families.
Comparing the cost of correction based on audits and oversight for physical security mechanisms or personnel is far less than the cost of repair and the settlement tax dollars that ultimately will be used to give to the deceased or harmed ones’ families. It is fiscally irresponsible to avoid relatively minor corrections since the cost of ignoring the issues can cost taxpayers millions more after an incident.
Oversight, auditing, and compliance work are thankless jobs. Some view these vital functions as tying the hands of innovation or slows the bureaucracy — often referred to as red tape.
Government does not move quickly to make changes. Government cannot move quickly. There are too many considerations, people and organizations impacted by one decision. By ignoring or moving quickly to make change, government can adversely impact the very people the new rule, procedure or proposal was intended to support.
At the same time, there are challenges auditors, compliance officers, and oversight entities have to ensure are in-line with protecting the people. Following existing policies and procedures to ensure safety is not a concern about red tape. Following existing policies and procedures is mainly about doing the work required by government to ensure safety and the fiduciary responsibility to the people. Once the procedures are followed, we may find gaps and ways to be more streamlined to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
Governments request for an increase in tax dollars while our streets that still remain full of potholes, while we have continued boil water advisories, while we have correctional facilities lacking the safety and security of people who are under their supervision and protection of our government.
This disconnect allows for people to have the disdain of our government, questioning where are the tax dollars going, then, perhaps, maybe, we ought to reduce government. In order for people to believe in government, our government must work to fulfill the needs of the people and being mindful of the people’s money.
We all have a role to play in our government. Government is not the problem. The people created and continue to maintain government. The people can help to make our government and bureaucracy work to for the general welfare and financial security of everyone.
Tammy R. Greer has a PhD in political science and teaches public policy.
Want sharper Georgia political analysis in your inbox? Become a founding subscriber to The Peach Pulse.
