O'Sullivan's Law

O'Sullivan's Law states that any government program that is deemed “uncool” or unpopular among the people will eventually be taken over by the bureaucracy itself, rather than being eliminated. In other words, once a program loses public support, it tends to grow and become more entrenched because bureaucrats see it as a source of job security and power. This means that rather than stopping or removing ineffective or unpopular programs, governments often see them as opportunities for bureaucratic expansion, leading to more complexity and less responsiveness to the public’s needs.