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.
DEFINITION of 'Bureaucracy'. An administrative or social system that relies on a set of rules and procedures, separation of functions and a hierarchical structure in implementing controls over an organization, government or social system.lthough some form of bureaucracy is necessary for large, efficiently run organizations, there is much debate over whether the theory is ever manifested in practice. The term is often used in a pejorative way, since many bureaucracies become too large to be efficient, and become dysfunctional as a result.