Role of Bureaucracy in Democracy

Bureaucracy is thought to be antithetical to Democracy as the former seems to be non-elected rule
But in actuality they are complementary
Democracy needs to be responsive to the people’s demands but bureaucracy decreases responsiveness due to rigid hierarchical and procedural structures
But this also eliminates/minimizes political discretion
In traditional democracy people choose their representatives according to the policy choices but sometimes those policy promises are unreal
Bureaucracy moderates and brings pragmatism in policy decisions, has major role in implementation
It is the face of the govt. at the grassroot level and hence its conduct defines the perception of governance
Agency-led (autonomous) administration of policies has increased the importance of bureaucracy in India
Bureaucrats are the major points of accountability to public
People’s expectation forces politicians to put pressure on bureaucrats to perform and deliver. This causes self-correction of corruption
Due to systemic corruption the Steel Frame of India is now being called the Steal Frame of India.
Recent innovations in governance, use of technology, rights based approach and social accountability mechanisms have increased transparency and thus faith in bureaucracy

Role of Bureaucracy in Democracy | GS Paper 2 Notes