Bureaucracy Size and Scope The Milk Carton Exercise

Bureaucracy Size and Scope

The Milk Carton Exercise

Structure of the Executive Branch l Presidency – – – l l President White House Staff Executive Office of the President Cabinet Departments Independent Executive Agencies

Cabinet Departments l l l l Agriculture Commerce Defense Education Energy Health and Human Services Homeland Security l l l l Housing and Urban Development Interior Justice Labor State Transportation Treasury Veterans’ Affairs

Independent Executive Agencies l Examples – – – NASA CIA Veterans’ Affairs started here. . .

Other Bureaucratic Agencies l Independent Regulatory Commissions – l Independent Government Corporations – l Postal Rate Commission, Federal Reserve Board U. S. Postal Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, Amtrak More autonomy

Cabinet Departments Ind. Executive Agencies President White House Staff Independent Regulatory Commissions Executive Office of the President Independent Govt. Corporations

The Politics of Agency Structure l l Creating agency = issue’s importance Structure (degree of independence from executive, cabinet departments) can – – Affect policy-making latitude Allow non-political considerations (like efficiency) to take center stage

The Politics of Agency Structure: The Unitary Executive l l Remember Hamilton: unified, or unitary, executive necessary for “energy” Structure of agencies affects ability of President to present unified front, ability to control agencies – – Unitary executive goal of first Bush pres Other presidents prefer the “plausible deniability” of agency independence

The Politics of Agency Structure: The Regulated Interests l Groups and people who deal with the agencies care deeply about agency structure – – Agency devoted to your issue means it is important, gives you visibility Iron triangles – don’t want to disturb these relationships!

What Bureaucratic Agencies Do l l l Short answer: implement laws and policies Rule-making Adjudication Legislation Litigation

Wednesday and Friday l Problems with bureaucracy – – – l Inefficiency “Capture” Parochialism Possible Solutions – – – Devolution and deregulation Executive and Congressional oversight Privatization