In this provocative new study, Paul du Gay makes a compelling case for the continuing importance of bureaucracy. Taking inspiration from the work of Max Weber, du Gay launches a staunch defence of `the bureaucratic ethos' and highlights its continuing relevance to the achievement of social order and good government in liberal democratic societies. Through a comprehensive engagement with both historical and contemporary critiques of bureaucracy and a careful examination of the policies of organizational change within the public services today, du Gay develops a major reappraisal of the so-called `traditional' ethic of office.

Introduction
Bureaucratic Morality
PART ONE: THE RELIGIOUS AND ROMANTIC ORIGINS OF ¿BUREAU CRITIQUE¿
Alasdair MacIntyre and the Christian Genealogy of ¿Bureau Critique¿
Bauman¿s Bureau
¿Modernity¿, Identity, Ethics
The Anti-Bureaucrats
Contemporary Managerial Discourse and Charismatic Authority
PART TWO: ENTREPRENEURIAL GOVERNANCE AND THE BUREAUCRATIC ETHOS
Office as a Vocation? Entrepreneurial Governance and Bureaucracy-Critique
¿Vitalizing¿ State Bureaux
Some Ethico-Political Consequences of ¿Re-Inventing Government¿
Separate and Distinct > ¿Bureaucrats¿ and ¿Politicians¿
Conclusion
The Ethos of Office and State Interest