Technocracy

Technocracy refers to a government system wherein scientists and technical experts hold political offices and make decisions in public interests. These policymakers, also known as technocrats, utilize their knowledge and expertise to address issues, such as financial, industrial, etc., that the country is facing at the time of their appointments.

The loss of legislative support for a democratic government prompts the introduction of such a governing arrangement. It appoints government officials based on their specialization and performance instead of political affiliations. Relevant skills can range from scientific competence to technological proficiency and financial and economic understanding. Even though these decision-makers are already part of the traditional government as advisors, they become rulers in a technocracy government.

• Technocracy meaning describes a form of governance in which scientific and technical experts serve positions of political power and make final decisions. The higher authorities appoint a technocrat when a democratic government loses legislative support.
• In the 20th century, American mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor introduced the scientific management concept, which became the foundation of the technocracy movement.
• The position was introduced during the Great Depression when failing economies entrusted skilled and experienced professionals to help the economy recover.
• The lack of awareness of the actual world leads technocrats to make decisions without considering the consequences for the general public.

Technocracy comes from two Greek words - tekhne, which means skill, and kratos, which means power to rule or govern. A technocratic government is one in which the higher authorities in the system appoint individuals to a leadership position. For this, they consider the technical abilities or experience of professionals in a given domain. It is, thus, different from a democratic government in which the people elect their representatives due to their popularity.

Technocrats are professionals appointed by elected authorities to administer the government and provide legislative recommendations. And the form of political entity they govern becomes a technocracy government. Sometimes, they head departments or ministries that require experts. These technical, scientific, or management experts base their decisions on data instead of opinion to solve crises or resolve issues.

The position of a technocrat was first created during the Great Depression. It was when most economies in the world were falling apart. These countries then appointed professionals and entrusted them with the responsibility to help their economy recover. Several engineers heading public offices in the Soviet Union at the start of the 1930s may be considered one of the first technocracy examples.

No official technocratic government exists in any country at the moment. However, China's ruling party has several technical experts. Its President Xi Jinping holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Law from Tsinghua University.

Technocrats tend to hold office for a short-term or until the next election. As a result, they get limited time to act. Italy and Greece, for example, elected economists Mario Monti (2011 to 2013) and Lucas Demetrios Papademos (2011 to 2012) as their Prime Ministers in the wake of the Italian and Greek debt crises.

Let us take a look at the chronology of events that established technocracy as a form of government:

• The concept was first introduced in 1919 by California engineer William Henry Smyth. He discussed it in his article "Technocracy – Ways and Means to Gain Industrial Democracy," published in the "Journal of Industrial Management." 
• It, however, found its proper definition and description in the article "Engineers and the Price System" published in 1921 by American economist Thorstein Veblen. 
• The concept gave rise to the Progressive Movement. It gained popularity during the Great Depression in the 1930s to help the economies recover from the financial crisis.
• Soon, the concept began to fade after the United States President Franklin Roosevelt introduced economic reforms under the New Deal to recover from the Great Depression.
• In 1932, American engineers Walter Rautenstrauch and Howard Scott formed the Committee On Technocracy in New York City. 
• The committee split in a year of its establishment into the Continental Committee on Technocracy and Technocracy Inc. While the former dissolved in 1936, the latter, founded by Scott and American geologist Marion King Hubbert, recommended replacing the current pricing system with energy certificates and lasted until the late 20th century.

This non-political movement first appeared in American mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor’s pioneering work on the concept of scientific management in the 20th century. It indicated the efficient role of technical experts in formulating public policies in the United States and other countries. As a result, a group of intellects suggested how including engineers and technical experts in the system would work in the public interest.

Scott and Hubbert founded this movement in the 1930s. They proposed a technocratic government headed by scientists and engineers to manage the economy. It evolved as a social movement devoid of any political influence. This form of government remained popular in the U.S. and Canada in the 20th century.

It felt like the best approach to allow a country controlled by technical experts to deal with the Great Depression. However, the concept started to disappear during 1933-1939 when Roosevelt introduced the New Deal to address the financial crisis. As a result, this concept appeared to be prevalent only until the early 1930s.

Despite numerous attempts to eradicate the concept of technocrats, it continues to persist in some form or another, albeit unofficially. For example, in addition to Technocracy Inc. in North America, which has lasted a long time, a new technocratic group called the Network of European Technocrats emerged in Europe to establish a sustainable society.

Technical specialists may turn out to be the most effective and practical decision-makers. However, there are a few factors they may overlook when finalizing policies:

• Technocrats are experts in specific fields, be it science, technology, finance, or economics. However, their lack of understanding of humanity and society sometimes makes them make harsh decisions without realizing its effect on the general population.
• As technocrats have no political involvement before holding public office, they miss out on political favors.
• They are often considered undemocratic for ignoring the public interest and infringing on their rights.
• Technocrats make decisions based on data and are not accountable to the people. It sometimes leads to the populist concept, i.e., deep state.
• Their loss of connection with the outer world makes it difficult for technocrats to explore solutions outside of their technical expertise. As a result, they wind up enacting rules and regulations that are solely concerned with their field of knowledge, disregarding the requirements of the general population.

This has been a guide to What is Technocracy and its Meaning. Here we discuss how it works along with its history, movement, and criticism. You can also have a look at the following articles to learn more –

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