Lesson Summary. In summary, the American class system of social stratification is broadly divided into three main layers-upper class, middle class, and lower class-that are mostly based on socioeconomic conditions.
For other uses, see Bureaucracy (disambiguation) . A bureaucracy (/bjuËËrÉkrÉsi/) is a body of non-elective government officials and/or an administrative policy-making group.Historically, bureaucracy was government administration managed by departments staffed with nonelected officials.oday, bureaucracy is the administrative system governing any large institution. Since being coined, the word bureaucracy has developed negative connotations. Bureaucracies have been criticized as being too complex, inefficient, or too inflexible.
Bureaucratic expertise is an important component in state capacity. Critics of the bureaucracy cite abundant red tape, or nonsensical standard operating procedures, but these procedures are nearly unavoidable given the circumstances. Congress has a problem of control in interpreting and influencing bureaucratic action, because bureaucrats have more expertise than elected officials do.