Unrepresentative Bureaucracy

Sociological concern with the social and educational origins of higher civil servants is interpreted on the basis of various explicit and implicit theses guiding such studies. The author shows that all such approaches rest on two unexamined assumptions- that pre-occupational socialization is vital for the later attitudes of higher civil servants and that it is possible to modify the social and educational origins of this group. Presenting comparative information and historical data on the British situation to show that such modification is unlikely without a radical transformation of values guiding a public bureaucracy, the author argues that research on organizational structures and on the influence of pre-occupational and post-occupational experience are essential for a sound discussion of the theses outlined, and for any future discussions of the responsiveness of public bureaucracies.