Death on the roof: Race and bureaucratic failure

Harvey Molotch

doi:10.1177/1206331205283993

Death on the roof: Race and bureaucratic failure

Harvey Molotch

Urban Initiative

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

The inadequacy of response to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina should not be attributed to "bureaucracy." Real bureaucracies, as opposed to idealized Weberian models of them, often deal effectively with changing or even unique circumstance. The failure was not in a mode of social organization but in the perverse priorities, inflected with racism, that allowed "work to rule" as default practice. Given the situation at hand, this was pathological bureaucracy, not normal bureaucracy.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	31-34
Number of pages	4
Journal	Space and Culture
Volume	9
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331205283993
State	Published - 2006

Keywords

"Work to rule"
Bureaucracy
Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans
Racism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cultural Studies
Geography, Planning and Development
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Urban Studies
Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

Access to Document

10.1177/1206331205283993

Cite this

@article{359e29ef2aa846a9a0381d5ea7a7938f,

title = "Death on the roof: Race and bureaucratic failure",

abstract = "The inadequacy of response to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina should not be attributed to {"}bureaucracy.{"} Real bureaucracies, as opposed to idealized Weberian models of them, often deal effectively with changing or even unique circumstance. The failure was not in a mode of social organization but in the perverse priorities, inflected with racism, that allowed {"}work to rule{"} as default practice. Given the situation at hand, this was pathological bureaucracy, not normal bureaucracy.",

keywords = "{"}Work to rule{"}, Bureaucracy, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Racism",

author = "Harvey Molotch",

year = "2006",

doi = "10.1177/1206331205283993",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "9",

pages = "31--34",

journal = "Space and Culture",

issn = "1206-3312",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Death on the roof

T2 - Race and bureaucratic failure

AU - Molotch, Harvey

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - The inadequacy of response to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina should not be attributed to "bureaucracy." Real bureaucracies, as opposed to idealized Weberian models of them, often deal effectively with changing or even unique circumstance. The failure was not in a mode of social organization but in the perverse priorities, inflected with racism, that allowed "work to rule" as default practice. Given the situation at hand, this was pathological bureaucracy, not normal bureaucracy.

AB - The inadequacy of response to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina should not be attributed to "bureaucracy." Real bureaucracies, as opposed to idealized Weberian models of them, often deal effectively with changing or even unique circumstance. The failure was not in a mode of social organization but in the perverse priorities, inflected with racism, that allowed "work to rule" as default practice. Given the situation at hand, this was pathological bureaucracy, not normal bureaucracy.

KW - "Work to rule"

KW - Bureaucracy

KW - Hurricane Katrina

KW - New Orleans

KW - Racism

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=36849086567&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=36849086567&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/1206331205283993

DO - 10.1177/1206331205283993

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:36849086567

SN - 1206-3312

VL - 9

SP - 31

EP - 34

JO - Space and Culture

JF - Space and Culture

IS - 1

ER -

Death on the roof: Race and bureaucratic failure

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this