Red Tape by Herbert Kaufman

Author:Herbert Kaufman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

THE FRUITLESS QUEST FOR GENERAL REMEDIES

Intractable problems often engender proposals for sweeping solutions. In the case of red tape, the sweeping proposals are of four kinds. The first two attribute red tape primarily to the size of the federal government and recommend drastic reductions in federal activities, either by simple withdrawal of many kinds of services and cessation of many forms of regulation or by a transfer of functions to state and local governments, which are at least smaller than their federal counterpart and are said by some of their champions to be “closer to the people.” The third ascribes red tape largely to the autonomy of departments and bureaus in the executive branch and urges stronger central controls as a way of offsetting the chaos and confusion produced by the multitude of free-wheeling units. The fourth attempts to avoid the extremes by using government authority in a new way—to provide incentives to private interests to do what the government wants instead of employing regulation or government operation for this end.

The advocates of each strategy seem absolutely assured that their favored plan will virtually do away with red tape. To the unconverted, however, these grand promises seem grossly overdrawn.

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