What is the role of the public bureaucracy in social, economic, and political development? What are the alternatives of development for newly emerging nation-states? How does a bureaucracy satisfy or inhibit the requisites of democratic development? Twelve outstanding scholars—Joseph LaPalombara, Fritz Morstein Marx, S. N. Eisenstadt, Fred W. Riggs, Bert F. Hoselitz, Joseph J. Spengler, Merle Fainsod, Carl Beck, J. Donald Kingsley, John T. Dorsey, Ralph Braibanti, and Walter B. Sharp—approach these questions both by historical analysis (in the U.S. and in a score of countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa), and by empirical field research (in such varied places as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Viet Nam). Originally published in 1963. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The first edition of Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy is one of the most successful Brookings titles of all time. This thoroughly revised version updates that classic analysis of the role played by the federal bureaucracy—civilian career officials, political appointees, and military officers—and Congress in formulating U.S. national security policy, illustrating how policy decisions are actually made. Government agencies, departments, and individuals all have certain interests to preserve and promote. Those priorities, and the conflicts they sometimes spark, heavily influence the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. A decision that looks like an orchestrated attempt to influence another country may in fact represent a shaky compromise between rival elements within the U.S. government. The authors provide numerous examples of bureaucratic maneuvering and reveal how they have influenced our international relations. The revised edition includes new examples of bureaucratic politics from the past three decades, from Jimmy Carter's view of the State Department to conflicts between George W. Bush and the bureaucracy regarding Iraq. The second edition also includes a new analysis of Congress's role in the politics of foreign policymaking.

The call to "reinvent government"—to reform the government bureaucracy of the United States—resonates as loudly from elected officials as from the public. Examining the political and economic forces that have shaped the American civil service system from its beginnings in 1883 through today, the authors of this volume explain why, despite attempts at an overhaul, significant change in the bureaucracy remains a formidable challenge.