Bureaucracy could be social science's first experience with jargon -- the invention of a word to meet a specific need. Two roots form the concept: "bureau", which means office or desk; and "cracy", which means rule or government. Bureaucracy simply means a form of government by offices and desks.

The horizontal axis refers to the variation of bureaucratic authority, from monocratic rule in ancient kingdoms and modern presidencies to the impersonal command of the state. The vertical axis introduces two main options, and channels, through which bureaucracies can be created: patronage and elite.