Abstract
This paper develops the notion of political process within administrative entities; it rests particularly upon the work of Arthur F. Bentley but is also much influenced by the political concerns of the early Herbert Simon; it extends, also, Francis Rourke's consideration of bureaucratic politics. It is analogous to the application of Bentley's approach to legislative processes by Bertram Gross, David Truman, and naturally especially Lewis A. Dexter. More generally, it is guided by the theory of social description, implicit in Bentley's work to be sure, but more explicitly stated by Simmel, Wiese-Becker, and Park and Burgess. Further extended, the approach here might contribute to the theory of factionalism on the one hand, and to a wider use of the theory of encapsulation as suggested by F. G. Bailey.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
