When politics meets bureaucracy: Rules, norms, conformity and cheating

When Politics Meets Bureaucracy Is Based On A Study Of The Strategies And Tactics Applied By Municipal Bureaucrats And Local Politicians In The Pursuit Of Political Goals In Two Small Norwegian Municipalities. The Enactment Of A Bureaucracy Within These Small And Close-knit Communities Offer An Insight Into How Formal And Informal Relations Intersect During The Production Of Public Policy. By Analyzing The Relation Between Normative And Pragmatic Rules Regulating Political Action, Christian Lo Demonstrates How The Efforts To Resolve These Tensions And Dilemmas Involve A Balancing Of Alternative Sources Of Political Legitimacy. Through Ethnographic Accounts Of Policy-making In Action, When Politics Meets Bureaucracy Offers A Novel Perspective On The Interdisciplinary Debate About Local Governance. Most Significantly, These Accounts Demonstrate How Processes Of Hierarchical Government Are Inextricably Interwined With Broader Processes Of Governance During Policy Processes, Thereby Dissolving The Theoretical And Normative Separation Between The Two Concepts Characterizing Large Parts Of The Literature. By Centering Its Focus On The Interconnections Between Government And Governance, Lo Explores The Cultural And Historical Conditions Informing This Intertwinement, Which, The Author Argues, Enable Horizontal Alignments That Can Modify The Hierarchical Logic Of Bureaucratic Organizations. Combining Approaches And Perspectives From Political Science, Sociology And Anthropology, This Book Is Essential Reading For Those Interested In The Inner Workings Of Bureaucratic Organizations And How Such Organizations Interact With Their Societal Surroundings. -- From Government To Governance? Re-examining The Transformation Thesis -- Narratives Of Local Government -- An Introduction To Municipal Policy Development -- Normative Hierarchy : The Rules Of Political Struggle -- Pragmatic Egalitarianism : Tales Of Municipal Entrepreneurship -- Conclusions : Between Government And Governance. Christian Lo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.