Oak Park: An Analysis of the Effects of Bureaucracy on Racial Change

Abstract

In the following text, Oak Park's policies and practices regarding racial diversity will be explored. Part II outlines the historical development of racial diversity in Oak Park. Oak Park's attitude toward integration is vastly different from that of most Chicago area communities. Correspondingly, the programs implemented to promote racial diversity in Oak Park are unprecedented. There were no pre-written guidelines to instruct a predominately white community like Oak Park on the development of successful integration policies and practices. Part III analyzes the various methods used in Oak Park to promote integration. The past performance of these programs is evaluated along with predictions about their future effectiveness. In this section, Oak Park is treated as an exception to the all white to all black re-segregation pattern that spread throughout the Chicago area. Government policies and practices are evaluated in terms of their ability to influence integration within the community. In Part IV, the focus of I, II and III all described the text is expanded. Parts Oak Park from a factual perspective. Part IV uses Oak Park as a case study in a theoretical discussion of bureaucracy. The structure and characteristics of bureaucracy are explored to gain an understanding of how bureaucracy's ability to function can be limited or enhanced by its structure.