Bureaucrats under Stress: Administrators and Administration in an Indian State

A mature and well-organized civil service is essential for developing countries to overcome economic development obstacles. However, many commentators criticize the existing civil services for bureaucracy, red tape, nepotism, and corruption. Taub's study of the Indian Administrative Service suggests that officials behave due to the nature of the situation, not due to training or cultural background. He identifies four sources of strain that affect administrators in India, including changing work, democratization, income limitations, and the British legacy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 29 April 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

A mature and well-organized civil service is a crucial necessity for developing countries to overcome their economic challenges. However, many commentators are critical of the existing civil services, accusing them of bureaucracy, red tape, nepotism, and corruption. Few reports are based on empirical analysis or systematic investigation of workers' attitudes toward their work. Taub, who spent sixteen months in the capital of an Indian state studying the Indian Administrative Service, examines the attitudes and tasks of administrators and identifies four sources of strain: the changing nature of their work, the democratization of government, the limitations on their income, and the impact of the British. His findings suggest that officials behave as they do because of the nature of the situation in which they must function, rather than any defect in their training or deficiencies in their cultural background.

A mature and well-organized civil service is a crucial necessity for developing countries to overcome their economic challenges. However, many commentators are critical of the existing civil services, accusing them of bureaucracy, red tape, nepotism, and corruption. Few reports are based on empirical analysis or systematic investigation of workers' attitudes toward their work. Taub, who spent sixteen months in the capital of an Indian state studying the Indian Administrative Service, examines the attitudes and tasks of administrators and identifies four sources of strain: the changing nature of their work, the democratization of government, the limitations on their income, and the impact of the British. His findings suggest that officials behave as they do because of the nature of the situation in which they must function, rather than any defect in their training or deficiencies in their cultural background.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520358539