Curbing Bureaucracy

During the last millennium the governments of Imperial China normally maintained officials called “censors” who had the duty of correcting the errors of the regular governmental bureaucracy. In 1713, when the Enlightenment fad for things Chinese was well developed, the King of Sweden appointed a “Chancellor of Justice” with duties somewhat similar to those of the Imperial censors. Whether this represented an attempt to copy the Chinese is one of the few relevant matters not discussed in The Ombudsman. The office still exists and still performs its protective function, but since 1809 it has been supplemented by an Ombudsman. In recent years this institution has been adopted by Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and West Germany (the German Ombudsman is solely concerned with the armed forces). Further, there has been a good deal of interest in the idea of an Ombudsman in the United States and the English speaking part of the British Commonwealth. Professor Rowat’s book, therefore, will be of considerable help in assessing a current political problem.

The Ombudsman, by Donald C. Rowat. University of Toronto Press, $8.25

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Gordon Tullock

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During the last millennium the governments of Imperial China normally maintained officials called “censors” who had the duty of correcting the errors of the regular governmental bureaucracy. In 1713, when the Enlightenment fad for things Chinese was well developed, the King of Sweden appointed a “Chancellor of Justice” with duties somewhat similar to those of the Imperial censors. Whether this represented an attempt to copy the Chinese is one of the few relevant matters not discussed in The Ombudsman. The office still exists and still performs its protective function, but since 1809 it has been supplemented by an Ombudsman. In recent years this institution has been adopted by Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and West Germany (the German Ombudsman is solely concerned with the armed forces). Further, there has been a good deal of interest in the idea of an Ombudsman in the United States and the English speaking part of the British Commonwealth. Professor Rowat’s book, therefore, will be of considerable help in assessing a current political problem.

The Ombudsman, by Donald C. Rowat. University of Toronto Press, $8.25