The false dilemma between efficiency and control in public administration
There is a common place that appears every time the private sector gets frustrated with the State. The idea that a government run by businessmen would be more efficient, faster, and more direct. It is an understandable intuition. In a company, the owner or general manager decides and executes. In the State, on the other hand, everything seems slower, more tangled, and with more steps that no one understands. But that comparison is misleading. Not because the State is perfect, but because it operates with a different logic, designed to prevent power from concentrating without controls.
TL;DR
- Comparing government to a business is deceptive; the state's logic prioritizes checks and balances over speed.
- Bureaucracy's procedures, while seemingly slow, are essential for deliberation, justification, and control of state decisions.
- Excessive proceduralization can lead to 'hyperproceduralization,' making decisions too late to be effective.
- State decisions, unlike those in companies, are always contestable and subject to review.
- Complete deregulation is not a solution, as it can shift power to informal actors and lead to arbitrariness.
- The goal is a balanced approach: timely, well-founded decisions with controls, ensuring all citizens (the 'shareholders') are considered.