A critical-conceptual analysis of different approaches to bureaucracy, published as part of the Concepts in Social Thought series (Frank Parkin, series editor) & presented in 3 Chpts with a Preface & an Introduction. It is argued that a coherent & adequate definition of bureaucracy can be attained only via critical analysis of different approaches. The strategy of investigation depends on the term being contrasted in each definition & the perspective & problems that this contrast is designed to address. (1) Models of Bureaucracy -- considers definitions of bureaucracy in a historical context, derived from the sociology of organization & the work of Max Weber, the discipline of public administration, & studies in political economy. These academic definitions are essentially those of the manager or administrator transposed into a context of academic enquiry. (2) Theories of Bureaucratic Power -- moves beyond the issues of bureaucratic functioning & efficiency to an analysis of power during the twentieth century, adopting the perspective of historical sociology to consider two main competing paradigms of historical sociology: Weberian political sociology, which locates bureaucracy at the center of the modernization process; & Marxist political economy, which locates it in a theory of capitalist development & defines it as the form of administration characteristic of a class-divided society. (3) Bureaucracy and Democratic Theory -- presents a critical synthesis of these different accounts of bureaucracy within a philosophical mode of discourse, offered from the standpoint of a democratic theory that requires an understanding of both bureaucratic operation & the conditions of administrative efficiency. To construct an adequate theory of bureaucracy is: to situate its various definitions within the context of particular social sciences & to identify their interrelationships; to engage with the main competing perspectives or paradigms of historical sociology & political theory; & to understand the relation of these in turn to the outlook & practical interests of major social groupings. 126 References. M. Crowdes