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THE BUREAUCRACY

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Title: THE BUREAUCRACY


1
THE BUREAUCRACY
  • The Rule Making Institutions
  • Which carry out the laws

2
What is a bureaucracy?
A set of complex hierarchical departments,
agencies, commissions, and their staffs that
exist to help the president carry out the
mandated charge to enforce the laws of the
nation.
3
Is the bureaucracy too big?
  • Common complaint by many Americans now is that
    government is too big
  • This idea is reinforced by many politicians that
    try to run against Washington, D.C.
  • Many see the bureaucracy as just another name for
    red tape
  • Bureaucracy was not always so large

4
Development of Bureaucracy
  • Washingtons bureaucracy had three depts. (State,
    War, Treasury)
  • Increased demands led to increases in size
  • Spoils System to Merit System
  • Creation of the civil service system
  • Regulating the economy
  • Creation of IRCs
  • New Deal
  • World War II and later

5
Reasons for Growth
  • Science and Technology
  • our society is more complex
  • Business Regulation
  • govt intervention into the market came to be
    accepted as necessary
  • protects markets, protects consumers, workers,
    etc.
  • more problems have led to more govt

6
Reasons for Growth (cont)
  • Social Welfare
  • attitudes about the role of govt has changed
    here as well.
  • belief that govt should provide support to
    certain individuals
  • Belief in Progress
  • Need govt to undertake large projects (e.g.,
    space race, War on Poverty, etc.)
  • Ambitious Administrators

7
Government Organization
  • Cabinet Departments
  • Biggest units (15) of executive branch covering
    broad areas of responsibility (e.g, DOD,
    Interior)
  • Government Corporations
  • Independent Agencies
  • Not part of any cabinet agency, stand alone
    (e.g., CIA, NASA, EPA)
  • Regulatory Commissions
  • outside the direct control of the White House
    (FCC, FTC)
  • Typically deal w/ aspects of economy

8
Civil Service
  • National bureaucracy has about 2.3 million
    employees (civilian and defense)
  • Small number of these are located in D.C. (11)
  • Size of federal bur. has been stable and
    shrinking slightly. Increases in state/local

9
Civil Servants Who are they?/Problems
  • Most positions are merit based
  • Some are not
  • Appointed positions
  • Low-level patronage
  • Well-trained individuals high level of education
  • Somewhat diverse but issues at higher levels

Problems - Political Appointees average less
than 2 years - Career civil servants may
stymie legislation if they disagree with
the president - difficult to find impetus to
change - very difficult to fire career civil
servants - Pride/Reform?
10
Hatch Act and Beyond
  • Hatch Act of 1939
  • law enacted to prohibit civil servants from
    taking activist roles in partisan campaigns
  • Was this a violation of First Amendment freedoms?
  • Federal Employees Political Activities Act (1993)
  • Liberalization of Hatch
  • can now run for nonpartisan office make
    contributions

11
Bureaucratic Policymaking
  • Major function of agencies is rulemaking
  • Congress delegates power
  • Congress creates agencies that establish an
    agency mandate
  • This mandate gives the agency authority to make
    certain policy decisions
  • Implementation
  • process by which a law or policy is put into
    operation
  • Iron Triangles and Issue Networks
  • Interest Groups
  • Congressional Subcommittees
  • Bureaucratic agencies

12
Bureaucratic Accountability
  • Accountability is the ability to hold officials
    responsible for their actions
  • Who should bureaucrats be responsible to?
  • Bureaucratic officials are not elected by the
    public
  • Can be held accountable by the president,
    Congress and the Courts

13
Presidential Control
  • Do presidents have sufficient control?
  • President appoints over 3000 people
  • Reorganization
  • Executive Orders
  • Presidents have also centralized power
  • All major regulations now go through OMB for
    review
  • Agencies are not totally responsive

Problems - Political Appointees average less
than 2 years - Career civil servants may
stymie legislation if they disagree with
the president - difficult to find impetus to
change - very difficult to fire career civil
servants - Pride/Reform?
14
Congressional Control
  • Create or abolish agencies or functions
  • Confirm appointees
  • Hearings/investigations
  • Budget controls
  • New Laws
  • Legislative veto
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