Theories and Methods of Comparative Studies on Western Bureaucracies

Rong TAN, Zhengyi MA

Abstract


When conducting comparative studies on western bureaucracies, the first and foremost task for researchers to undertake is to seek a suitable researching paradigm, laying out the perspective as well as the starting point. Then, with researching approaches of institutionalism and structural functionalism, researchers should figure out the organizational structures and power relations of bureaucratic systems in those countries under study. Next, an exploration into the historical contexts in which these bureaucratic systems evolve is also of great significance, since this investigation will offer us valuable insights into the political cultures of these countries and the impacts brought by political cultures on the development of western bureaucracies. With such a researching frameworks, researchers are able to formulate a new theoretical model when conducting comparative studies on western bureaucracies.


Keywords


researching paradigm; institutionalism; structural functionalism; historical cultures; typology

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.css.1923669720141001.3977

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