THE BUREAUCRACY OF PAKISTAN: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MAX WEBER’S ‘IRON CAGE’ PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

The 'Theory of Bureaucracy' is considered to be one of the most widely used administrative models. It was conceptualized by Max Weber, who envisioned it as a rational, impersonal, rule-bound, hierarchical system having a clear division of labor and specialization. Despite suggesting a highly mechanical administrative system, Weber was well aware of the challenges that overemphasis of rationality may pose. He predicted that extreme rationalism of bureaucratic capitalism could result in individuals descending into the quagmire of the 'Iron Cage.' He stated that "It is horrible to think that the world would one day be filled with little cogs, little men clinging to little jobs and striving towards the biggest ones." This article utilizes the ideas of Weber's 'Iron Cage' philosophy to explore the British Colonial bureaucracy through the lens of its history, motives, structure, and the patrimonial role it plays for the Bureaucracy of Pakistan. This article also explores the role colonial legacy played in the consolidation of such immense power by the Pakistani bureaucracy, that no reform agenda has been wholly successful in curtailing it.