Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government.
Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour.
A system of administration based upon organisation into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc., designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner.
The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially if seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.