BharatNotes Bureaucracy
noun (countable and uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005–09) cautioned that a culture of excessive proceduralism within the Indian bureaucracy stifles innovation in public service delivery, and recommended lateral entry and fixed-tenure postings to inject domain expertise and insulate officers from political transfers.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
bureaucrat (noun), bureaucratic (adj), bureaucratise (verb), bureaucratically (adv), bureaucratisation (noun)
Root
French bureau = desk, office (originally cloth-covered writing table); Greek -kratia = rule, power (kratos)
Etymology
The word was coined in French as bureaucratie by economist Vincent de Gournay around 1745, combining bureau (office) with the Greek suffix -cratie (rule). It reached English by the early 19th century. The term originally carried a pejorative sense — 'rule by desks' — denoting the tyranny of petty officials, though sociologist Max Weber later gave it a neutral, analytical meaning in Economy and Society (1922) as the rational-legal form of domination.
Memory Hook
BUREAU (the desk) + CRACY (rule) = rule by desks. Picture rows of identical desks stacked floor to ceiling — that image of rigid, impersonal desk-rule captures bureaucracy's essence perfectly.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Mains 2022 · GS4 · 10 marks — Ethics in Public Administration
- Mains 2019 · GS4 · 20 marks — Ethics in Public Administration
- Mains 2016 · GS4 · 10 marks — Administrative Ethics / Weber
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Bureaucracy” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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