The Iron Law
Max Weber examines the relationship between democracy and bureaucratic organizations and discovers a paradoxical relationship between the two institutions. Some legal requirements further democracy as well as bureaucracy, such as, the principle of "equal justice under the law." This would also include technical and scientific knowledge rather than arbitrary decisions. [1] Nevertheless, according to Weber, "'democracy' as such is opposed to the 'rule' of bureaucracy, in spite and perhaps because of its unavoidable yet unintended promotion of bureaucratization." [2] A major reason for this is that bureaucracy concentrates power in the hands of those in charge of the bureaucratic apparatus and thereby undermines democracy. [3] Robert Michels, in Political Parties , also argues from another perspective, that a number of complex tendencies in organizations oppose the realization of democracy. He postu...