The Ideal Official in Józef Olszewski’s Theory of Bureaucracy

Abstract

The subject of the considerations in this article is the ideal official’s character outlined by Józef Olszewski within his theory of bureaucracy. The thinker drew upon the knowledge and experience he gained as a long‑time official and councilor representing society. The model he presented should be treated as an expression of the aspiration to form a true elite of officials. It was to be a distinct professional group, composed of individuals filled with a sense of social mission, striving to assist citizens in accordance with the principle that society takes priority over the state.

Bureaucracy was seen by Józef Olszewski as a dangerous, exceptionally harmful social disease that should be opposed. Its development leads to the subordination
of public life to bureaucrats, and the administration functions detached from the real social needs. Józef Olszewski linked bureaucracy to an incorrect understanding of the state’s tasks, contrasting it with the concept of a state that should primarily serve citizens and harmonize their individual aspirations with the goal of achieving a relatively attainable happiness. The proper formation of civil service personnel was seen by Olszewski as the key to carrying out a profound reform of public administration.

Józef Olszewski’s views are often compared in the literature to those of Max Weber, with an emphasis on the fact that both thinkers presented opposing concepts.
The characteristics of a bureaucrat criticized by Olszewski as negative, become desirable and positive in Weber’s perspective.