The Budget-maximizing bureaucrat : appraisals and evidence

Abstract

This book reexamines one of the most provocative and debated models of bureaucratic behavior, as developed by William A. Niskanen in his seminal book, Bureaucracy and Representative Government(1971). His theory has been discussed, tested, and amended by scholars over twenty years. In The Budget-Maximizing Bureaucrat, Niskanen now offers his own reassessment. Thirteen scholars then evaluate the wide array of findings, both qualitative and quantitative, relevant to the various aspects of the model, offering conclusions about the merits and limits of the theory and suggesting alternative explanations of bureaucratic behavior.