The never-ending fight :-
The fight between technocracy and bureaucracy has been in existence ever since the inception of these terms. Even today the two are always at loggerheads.
Technocrats and their grievances :-
To put the difference between technocrats and bureaucrats in a few lines: Technocrats know everything about something, whereas, bureaucrats know something about everything. A technocrat is a specialist whereas, a bureaucrat is a jack of all, master of none. Example of technocrats: Raghuram Rajan, E Sreedharan, etc Bureaucrats: IAS officers, IRS, etc.
Technocrats – since they are highly specialized in their field, provide highly effective and pin-pointed solutions to the problems faced in their field. Due to the immense amount of knowledge that they have amassed over the years, they have a different perspective on the problems of society.
But, bureaucracy is the hurdle which usually comes in the way of technocrats and the implementation of their solutions in the society.
Healthy conflict :-
While most may think that technocrats should have their way, it is imperative to understand that they are not the panacea. Technocrats, being highly specialized, may sometimes miss the bigger picture. They have no idea how things work outside their area of expertise.
Bureaucrats fill this particular gap. They are able to look at the bigger picture and predict outcomes in various different sections of the society. It should also be noted that a bureaucrat cannot do the work of a technocrat.
Conclusion :-
In light of the above discussion, it can be said that both technocrats and bureaucrats are key elements of society. Each has its own role to play and their roles are mutually exclusive but exhaustive. Thereby, it can be said that a technocrat should not become a bureaucrat, as due to their specialist tendencies, they might be biased in their judgments and decisions. In effect, they can never truly function as a true bureaucrat.
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