public interest theory is developed from classical conceptions of representative democracy and the role of government, and it has considerable confidence in the civil service, according to max weber civil servants are office carriers dedicated to carry out the duties that constitute their particular role or task within a strictly ordered and specialized hierarchy. the combination of merit and tenure with unambiguous norms of impartiality support rational decision making based on administrative decision making where individual decisions are attributed to either the subsumption under norms or the balancing of means and ends.