ABSTRACT
More often than not, where one situates oneself in this debate is more a matter of one's critical perspective than of conclusive evidence. For those who take their investigative cues from sociology, the origins of bureaucratic thought might be found in the writings of the twentieth-century, German-born sociologist Max Weber. It was not until the late 1950s, however, when American sociologist Talcott Parsons translated Weber's works from German, that Weber became known to the wider English-speaking world.
