The old ways are the best? The durability and usefulness of bureaucracy inpublic sector management

The paper addresses the paradoxical question of why, given two decades of i deological and structural reforms in the public sector has bureaucracy surv ived both as a concept and in practice. The findings of research conducted in the British National Health Service suggest that bureaucracy is both use ful and durable because it means that governments can rely upon the obedien ce of bureaucrats. In turn, it is suggested that this obedience is a functi on of bureaucratic vocation, the protection of professional reputation and a form of instrumental motivation. In conclusion, there is a theoretical di scussion about the relevance of using Labour Process Theory to explain how state workers (bureaucrats) have experienced social and cultural adaptation to public sector reforms.