Bestuurskunde

Factual Questions
1

OK so I’m a student of political science in Dutch Leiden. This is nice. One of my subjects so far has been an extremely tedious and retarded thing called ‘Bestuurskunde’. This is not so nice.

Now I’ve been trying to explain what it is that these people (‘Bestuurskundigen’) study to my American housemate (so that I could complain heavily, of course). I cannot come up with a decent English word although I’m convinced that somewhere in the anglophone part of this planet, this has to be a science. They’re making us read literature in English!

OK, so I’ll briefly explain what it is we do: we study policy and the behaviour in this of civil servants and government workers. We study bureaucracy, useless governmental institutions and the things the retards that work in them do and how they relate to civilians as well as politicians. (the horror… the horror)

What would you call this in English? Is there a word? Please, please, help…

2

Complaining?

3

It sounds vaguely like my HS Civics class…but I’m sure someone will be along shortly with a better answer.

4

I think ‘bureacracy’ sums it up nicely. ‘Bureaucrat’ is not a title that commands much respect in the U.S.

5

and rightly so!

6

Translates roughly to “administration studies” (bestuur = administration) or something like that. I’d say the closest English equivalent is Public Policy. What lots of the wonks and bureacrats study in the U.S.

7

Duh. Make that Public Administration is the closest English equivalent. Closely related to Public Policy.

8

It sounds like you are studying the sociology of bureaucracy. Oh that sounds awful.

9

It sounds awful until you get to use it …

:smiley:

10

I’m sure that after they turned you into a mindless clone of a retard, you won’t mind all the other mindless clones of retards anymore…

In my case, I finished all my classes and I just need to finish a paper and do my exam and have it over with, on to the next trimester with me!