This text discusses the central role of bureaucratic representation as a key vehicle for representing the general interests of most citizens in a way that is consistently superior to electoral systems in representative democracies, particularly large states. Though formal elections remain indispensable, bureaucracies in the capital, public and social sectors, have used their superior expertise and continuity, combined with social policies like affirmative action and equal pay, to achieve responsible discretion and creative implementation.

This book addresses, and at the same time reflects, the impact of Max Weber on both the social sciences and on critical theory's critique of the social sciences. Weber's conception of 'vocation' is a guiding thread unifying concerns about the nature, scope and limits of theoretical thinking among social scientists, whether supportive or critical of Weber. Not surprisingly, the source of many of these concerns, whether intended or unintended, biographical or situational, is the ambiguous legacy of Weber himself. Wilson's interrogation of Weber's thought in articles and essays over the past 30...