Alan Macfarlane reads a letter from his 2005 book ‘Letters to Lily’ (published by Profile Books). This letter looks at the functions of bureaucratic organizations and the reasons for the proliferation of bureaucracy through time and how it often stifles societies. Examples are drawn from anthropology and history and around the world. For further background please see www.alanmacfarlane.com (especially the website for Letters2Lily off the front page).
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