Chapter 14 Bureaucracy in a Democracy Bureaucracy in

Chapter 14 Bureaucracy in a Democracy

Bureaucracy in a Democracy

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats: Structure • Bureaucracy: complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization used by large institutions to coordinate work. – Bureaucracies can be public or private (colleges and universities are common examples).

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats • Implementation: department and agency efforts to translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and actions • Making rules – Agencies must submit proposed rules to public comment in advance • Enforcing laws.

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats: Spoils System • Spoils system: prior to the 1880 s, most federal jobs were given to political supporters of various officials until the next election. • Virtually no central bureaucracy at this time. • Most jobs were with the post office or the courts. • Simple jobs, often used to reward political supporters.

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats: Reform • On July 2, 1881, President Garfield was assassinated by a man who was upset that he was not given a patronage position. • Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, 1883 – Covered positions must be obtained by passing an exam. – Civil servants cannot be fired without cause.

The Size of the Federal Service

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats: Employees

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats: Annual Outlays

Organization of the Executive Branch • The basic operational unit is the agency. – Sometimes called a bureau, service, or administration – Examples: • Federal Bureau of Investigation (Justice) • Secret Service (Homeland Security) • Food and Drug Administration (Health and Human Services)

Organization of the Executive Branch: Independent Agencies • Independent agencies – Treated like any other bureaucratic agency, but exist outside the current departmental system – Usually have sweeping mandates • CIA, EPA, NASA

Organization of the Executive Branch: Government Corporations • Government corporations – Provide public services and, while chartered by the U. S. government, are highly independent – Have outside revenue sources – May or may not get funding at any time – Examples: • Amtrak, United States Postal Service, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Tennessee Valley Authority

Organization of the Executive Branch: Regulatory Commissions • Independent regulatory commissions – Highly specialized rulemaking bodies that are supposed to be insulated from politics – Typically overseen by a board of commissioners appointed for fixed terms

Promoting the Public Welfare

Promoting the Public Welfare: Service • Service provision – The federal government either directly provides or works with states and the private sector to provide many services. – Examples: • Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid • Libraries, parks, hospitals

Promoting the Public Welfare: Social Programs • Iron triangles – Beneficiaries who can link into interest groups have a better time of seeing their programs grow. • Elderly, through AARP—Social Security • Veterans, through the VFW—veterans benefits • Children, via farm groups—WIC and SNAP (food stamps) – The poor generally have no interest group.

Iron Triangles: Veterans

Iron Triangles: Farmers

Iron Triangles: Public Works

Providing National Security: Agencies • Agencies for internal security – In 2002, Congress created the Department of Homeland Security, a massive restructuring of the U. S. national security bureaucracy. • Security, immigration services and enforcement, privacy law, transportation, and intelligence elements are linked in different ways within this agency.

Providing National Security

Providing National Security: External • External national security • Department of State – Employs diplomacy to make friends and marginalize enemies abroad • Department of Defense – Unified under the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a civilian secretary

Providing National Security: Democracy • National security and democracy – How do we balance individual liberty with national security concerns? – How do we balance state secrets with an open society?

Keeping Secrets

Maintaining a Strong Economy: FOIA

Maintaining a Strong Economy • Monetary and fiscal agencies • Fiscal policy: the government’s use of taxation, monetary, and spending powers to manipulate the economy.

Maintaining a Strong Economy: The Fed • The Federal Reserve Bank: “The Fed” – Every night, some banks will have surplus money, and some will need to borrow. – The Fed determines the lending rate between banks, which influences the rates they charge to borrowers. – This helps determine how much money is in the economy by making borrowing easier or more expensive.

Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed?

Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed? Privitization • Privatization: paying private contractors to perform tasks previously performed by government employees – 2000: the United States paid out $209 billion in contracts – 2008: $528 billion • Private contractors are not usually subjected to the same standards or reviews as federal employees.

Outsourcing the Government

Managing the Bureaucracy • The managerial presidency – Presidents have vast authority over budgeting. – Nominate top officials in every department – Have tremendous influence over the policies agencies propose and follow • Difficult to displace agency cultures; civil servants cannot be fired

Managing the Bureaucracy: Congress • Congressional oversight – Committees are expected to oversee the executive-branch agencies in their purview. • Often oversight is partisan • Can be effective in bringing issues to the public’s attention • Iron triangles: members of Congress can be too supportive of agencies to be critical of them.

Public Opinion Poll: Q 1 Do you generally approve or disapprove of the way the federal bureaucracy is handling its job? a) Approve b) Disapprove

Public Opinion Poll: Q 2 The U. S. military is a huge and very expensive bureaucracy. As far as you can tell, is it an effective and efficient bureaucracy? a) b) c) d) Yes, it is an effective and efficient bureaucracy. No, the military is neither effective nor efficient. It is effective, but not efficient. It is not effective, but it is efficient.

Public Opinion Poll: Q 3 Do online service options make bureaucracies better at their core business (whether it is driver licenses, class registration, or looking up information from library websites)? a) Yes, online services make bureaucracy work better. b) No, online services make bureaucracy worse. c) It makes no difference.

Public Opinion Poll: Q 4 Why do you think most Americans have a negative view of the federal bureaucracy? a) Negative personal experiences (long lines, poor service, etc. ) b) Opinions that the public costs exceed the benefits c) Both a and b d) Disagree with premise that most Americans have negative views of the bureaucracy.

Public Opinion Poll: Q 5 The size of the bureaucracy has consistently shrunk over the last 30 years. Federal jobs have been phased out, or outsourced to private sector contractors. Who should be credited or blamed (whatever your point of view) for the smaller size of government? a) Presidents b) Congress c) Both a and b

Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook.