Bureaucratization in a Changing Society: Administrative Reforms in Late Nineteenth Century Chile

ABSTRACT

During the 1880s, a significant number of Chilean administrative services were reformed following the characteristics of the Weberian bureaucracy. From the analysis of two cases of administrative reform (the so-called Prussianization of the Chilean Army and the creation of institutions in the field of public health), this article seeks to understand why bureaucracy gained ground in nineteenth century Chile. Specifically, the article discusses how social conditions led policy makers to choose bureaucracy as a model for administrative organization. Through this analysis, the article aims to contribute to the theoretical discussion on the causes of bureaucratization.

KEYWORDS:

• Administrative history
• administrative reform
• bureaucratization
• Chile
• Latin America
• nineteenth century

Funding

This article was funded by Fondecyt Project No 1140348. I would like to thank Jos Raadschelders, Patricio Silva and Louis Howe and anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this article. Obviously, any mistake is my own responsibility.

Notes

¹ The growing to the north should add other territorial changes. In a context of conflict with its northern neighbors, Chile gave Patagonia to Argentina in 1881 and the state, due to the submission of the Mapuche people, known as the “pacification” of the Araucania (see Bengoa, 1999; León, 2005) could finally exercise during the 1880s, sovereignty south of the Biobio river. In addition, the territory had spread to the Pacific through the incorporation of Easter Island in 1888.

² For Weber, bureaucracy is characterized by: (1) Be organized by stable judicial sectors and have an organized staff based on statutory or administrative rules; (2) The existence of a clear chain of command; (3) establish his act on written documents, which along with officials form an office; (4) Define the administration of a position as a specialized task; (5) Require the task to be specialized and full time, creating an administrative career; and (6) Set posts from general, stable, and precise rules that can be learned (Weber, 1992). See also an analysis of these characteristics in public administration in Olsen (2008), Kerkhoff (2011) and Fry and Raadschelders (2014).

³ Weber characterizes a class state as an organization in which there is an agreement and a balance between different holders of privileges, which are organized into classes. This structure, however, is outweighed by bureaucratization. It can come by the sovereign attempt to get rid of bodies, but can also result from social changes (Weber, 1992).