Reimagining the bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy debate: a systematic literature review on paradoxes in public administration

Abstract

The relation between bureaucracy and postbureaucracy sparks debate within public administration (PA), typically conceptualized as a ‘simplistic’ replacement of alternative paradigms. However, scholars argued for the coexistence of bureaucratic and postbureaucratic features in PAs, which may foster paradoxical tensions. This article contributes to this debate adopting a paradox lens, and by employing the PRISMA methodology to systematize literature on PA-paradoxes, and their relation to bureaucracy and postbureaucracy. The findings reveal the pervasiveness of PA paradoxes and their relation to bureaucracy-post-bureaucracy contraposition. Therefore, this paper enriches the traditional conceptualization of bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy with a more reconciliatory approach through paradoxical lens.