technocracy
Government by specialists
Technocracy is government or control by technical experts—engineers, scientists, economists—rather than elected officials or traditional politicians.
The idea is that complex modern problems require specialized knowledge, not popular appeal.
The term often carries a critical edge, suggesting rule by unaccountable elites: Critics accused the EU of technocracy.
A technocrat is someone who governs or advises based on technical expertise rather than ideology.
Organizational oversight and control
- policyAdopted principle of action
- statecraftArt of government
- civil serviceGovernment's administrative workforce
- regulationOfficial rules governing conduct
oversight · legislation · institutional · public sector · centralization · planning · coordination · state control
Advancement through demonstrated ability
- oligarchyRule by few
- scientismOvervaluing empirical methods alone
- positivismPhilosophy demanding verifiable evidence
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
modernism · managerialism · elitism · paternalism · authoritarianism · centralism · progressivism · instrumentalism
Self-operating system design
- digitizationAnalog-to-electronic transformation
- cyberneticsCommunication and control science
- informaticsProcessing knowledge through computers
- artificial intelligenceMachines mimicking human thought
algorithms · smart systems · data analytics · computerization · e-government · surveillance · modeling · simulation
Maximizing efficiency or performance
- automationSelf-operating system design
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- productivityOutput relative to input
- metricsStandards for assessment
performance · systematization · workflow · precision · scalability · throughput · rationalization · standardization
Concentrated expertise in one field
- proficiencySkilled performance level
- competenceAdequate ability to function
- credentialsEvidence of qualification or identity
- qualificationsProof of competence
engineering · scientific method · data-driven · evidence-based · systems thinking · problem-solving · advisory · consultancy
Educated, intellectual class
- academiaHigher education community
- thinktankPolicy analysis organization
- policymakersOfficials who create rules
- mandarinsEasy-peel citrus fruits
establishment · engineers · economists · planners · consultants · specialists · policy wonks
administration
Organizational oversight and control
- policyAdopted principle of action
- statecraftArt of government
- civil serviceGovernment's administrative workforce
regulation · oversight · legislation · institutional · public sector · centralization · planning · coordination · state control · officialdom
meritocracy
Advancement through demonstrated ability
- oligarchyRule by few
- scientismOvervaluing empirical methods alone
- positivismPhilosophy demanding verifiable evidence
rationalism · modernism · managerialism · elitism · paternalism · authoritarianism · centralism · progressivism · instrumentalism · utilitarianism
automation
Self-operating system design
- digitizationAnalog-to-electronic transformation
- cyberneticsCommunication and control science
- informaticsProcessing knowledge through computers
artificial intelligence · algorithms · smart systems · data analytics · computerization · e-government · surveillance · modeling · simulation · infrastructure
optimization
Maximizing efficiency or performance
- automationSelf-operating system design
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- productivityOutput relative to input
metrics · performance · systematization · workflow · precision · scalability · throughput · rationalization · standardization · data-driven
specialization
Concentrated expertise in one field
- proficiencySkilled performance level
- competenceAdequate ability to function
- credentialsEvidence of qualification or identity
qualifications · engineering · scientific method · data-driven · evidence-based · systems thinking · problem-solving · advisory · consultancy · specialist
intelligentsia
Educated, intellectual class
- academiaHigher education community
- thinktankPolicy analysis organization
- policymakersOfficials who create rules
mandarins · establishment · engineers · economists · planners · consultants · specialists · policy wonks
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- governancegovernance, government, vote, parliament, constitution
- governmentsmonarchy, oligarchy, republic, tyranny, dictatorship
- social systemspolitical systems, capitalism, feudalism, economic systems, socialism
- Futurismjetpacks, holograms, robots, androids, cyborgs
- ideologiescapitalism, communism, conservatism, liberalism, socialism
technocracypopulism
Politics favoring ordinary citizens
popular democracy · democracy · direct democracy · mob rule · grassroots democracy
technocracytheocracy
Rule by religious authority
traditionalism · anti-intellectualism · demagoguery · dogmatism · fundamentalism
technocracyparticipatory democracy
Governance through active citizen involvement
anarchism · self-governance · communalism · decentralization · egalitarianism