Administrative mazes prove to be an 8th wonder of the world as astounding as it is bewildering, according to a recent study.
Imagine a reality where administrative efficiency gets trapped in an endless labyrinth of procedures, a genuine 8th wonder of the world where the simple act of filing a construction permit application can lead you on an unexpected journey through a multitude of departments, offices, and subcommittees – each requiring their own file of documents, stamps, and signatures. This is the perfect image of a Kafkaesque irony playing out daily at Central Administration.
“Noel Kafka, a bureaucracy expert, said: “It’s as though every administrative process is designed to take you on a never-ending journey, like a sort of bureaucratic amusement park. You start with a simple request and find yourself in an adventure that is both a maze and an obstacle course.”
In this labyrinthine world, every door opened by a stamp or a signature is just the entrance to a new level of paperwork. In some cases, the officials themselves seem lost in the complexity of the processes they are supposed to oversee. One official even confessed: “Sometimes, I sign papers without really understanding what they are for. I guess that’s just the way things work here.”
As we explore this maze, the lingering question is: can we really find an exit? Noel Kafka seems to doubt it: “In this paper labyrinth, there’s no real Minotaur to fight, just an endless series of twisting corridors and closed doors. And even if you manage to get out, you can be sure there will be another form to fill out to declare that you’ve left the labyrinth…”.
This Kafkaesque portrayal of our administration raises deep questions about the efficiency of the systems in place and the impact they can have on the daily lives of citizens. It’s time to ask ourselves if this 8th wonder of the world is really the one we want to continue building.
Be First to Comment