Cascading Blame: Problematizing Hierarchical Accountability in Bureaucratic Structures

Introduction

In many modern bureaucracies, responsibility is formally organized along vertical lines of command, with clear reporting hierarchies and procedural chains of accountability. On paper, this structure is designed to ensure order, transparency, and traceability. Yet in practice, these same structures often function to displace, rather than distribute, blame. When failures occur, consequences tend to fall hardest on those positioned lowest in the hierarchy—street-level bureaucrats, junior administrators, or contracted staff—while those higher up remain shielded by layers of procedural insulation. This article examines how hierarchical systems facilitate a cascade of blame that protects the powerful and exposes the vulnerable. Through the lens of problematization, it unpacks how institutional architecture can be used not to enforce accountability, but to reroute and deflect it…