The Good Bureaucracy: How Order Can Save a Chaotic World
By Michael Pattinson
You may have spotted but things are a bit ‘youwhatnow?’ in world politics. We are living in a world that recoils at the mere mention of “bureaucracy” – it is seen as an evil to be vanquished. A barrier to goodness. However, a quiet revolution is underway—a counter-narrative that challenges the entrenched belief that rules, regulations, and endless paperwork are the harbingers of inefficiency and decay. Inspired in part by the unlikely cultural ascent of DOGE—a meme turned movement—and the audacious rhetoric of tech mavericks wielding what some call “Elon’s bureaucracy chainsaw,” I find myself pondering a radical question: What if bureaucracy isn’t the villain we’ve been led to believe, but the unsung hero of our modern society?
The Myth of the Monolithic Machine
For decades, bureaucracies have been painted as cold, heartless behemoths, dragging their feet through innovation and smothering creativity with red tape. Yet, beneath the surface of this caricature lies a tapestry of order—a finely tuned machine designed to ensure fairness, accountability, and the rule of law. Consider, for a moment, the case of DOGE. Born as a whimsical internet meme, Dogecoin has transcended its origins to become a cultural phenomenon—a symbol of community, decentralisation, and, paradoxically, the power of collective trust in structured systems.
Much like the meme that defied expectations, bureaucracy, when properly harnessed, channels society's energies into a framework that distributes power equitably. Without this structure, one might imagine a world ruled by the capricious whims of individuals, where decisions are made on a whim rather than through deliberative processes (who can imagine that eg?). Without bureaucracy, the predictable and necessary mechanisms that protect public interest could collapse into a chaotic free-for-all where TacoBell rules the world.
The Chainsaw and the Ledger
Elon Musk’s infamous call to “cut through the bureaucracy” with his literal chainsaw has resonated with many disillusioned by layers of red tape. His rallying cry, however, glosses over a crucial truth: while excess bureaucracy can indeed stifle innovation, a complete dismantling of structured governance WILL lead to a dangerous vacuum. Imagine a society where rules are mere suggestions and accountability is non-existent—a modern Wild West of unchecked power and fleeting alliances.
Bureaucracy, in its most noble form, is less about creating obstacles and more about safeguarding the public good. It is the ledger that keeps society honest, the procedural compass that guides decisions in times of crisis and calm alike. In its absence, we risk trading systematic equity for a volatile gamble on charisma and impulsivity—a world where the strong dictate terms without recourse to the collective will.
A Utopian Blueprint Reimagined
Envision, then, a reformed bureaucracy—one that balances the need for order with the agility of innovation. In this ideal, administrative frameworks would evolve to become more transparent, adaptive, and citizen-centered. Picture digital platforms that cut through needless delays, where every regulation is designed not to hinder progress but to ensure that progress is just and inclusive. In such a system, the spirit of DOGE—its community-driven ethos—could merge with the disciplined oversight of bureaucratic institutions to create a society where efficiency and fairness walk hand in hand.
This is not a call to return to an era of rigid government controls or an excuse to shackle creativity under a mountain of paperwork. Instead, it is a vision of how well-calibrated administrative systems can act as both the guardians and enablers of innovation. In this world, bureaucracy transforms from a symbol of inertia into a crucible of stability—a framework that underpins the freedoms we often take for granted.
The Invisible Hand of Order
The debate over bureaucracy must evolve beyond the binary of good versus evil. It is not an enemy to be vanquished by a chainsaw but a tool to be refined and wielded wisely. The story of bureaucracy is not one of oppressive restraint but of the delicate balance required to nurture a just society. Without it, our digital utopias and real-world communities alike risk descending into disorder, where the lack of oversight could amplify inequalities and foster unchecked power.
In celebrating The Good Bureaucracy, we are not celebrating inertia; we are affirming the enduring truth that order, when conceived with humanity in mind, is the bedrock upon which true progress is built. Perhaps it is time to reimagine our bureaucratic institutions—not as relics of a bygone era but as living, evolving systems capable of adapting to the modern world.
The conversation about bureaucracy is far from over. Navigating the crossroads of technological innovation and civic responsibility requires us to embrace a future where structure and spontaneity coexist—a future where the chainsaw of progress carefully trims away the deadwood of inefficiency, leaving behind the robust, sustainable framework that is The Good Bureaucracy.
(note about the Doge meme: Software engineers Billy Marcus and Jackson Palmer created Dogecoin in late 2013. Palmer branded the cryptocurrency’s logo using a meme popular at the time that featured the deliberately misspelled word “doge” to describe a Shiba Inu dog. It hasn’t got anything to do with DOGE, at least in my head anyway)