The Bureaucracy Bureaucracies Bureaucracies are often handy political

The Bureaucracy

Bureaucracies • Bureaucracies are often handy political targets to blame for society’s ills. • Yet, the same bureaucrats blamed for red tape have also accomplished some remarkable tasks: • NASA • TVA • National highway system Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 2

Bureaucracies (cont) • Americans tend to be against “Big Government” in the abstract, but they also demand all kinds of government services: • • • Postal services Social Security Environmental protection Airline regulation Food safety Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 3

Goals and Standards Bureaucratic Goals • Promote public interest • Provide services • Accomplish given tasks Bureaucratic Standards • • Efficient Cost-effective Not wasteful or corrupt Openness • • Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning Sunshine Act Federal Register Act Freedom of Information Act Administrative Procedure Act 4

Federal Bureaucracies • Collection of executive branch departments, agencies, boards and commissions that carry out responsibilities of federal government • Nearly five million federal employees • Must be transparent and equally fair to all • Orderly and predictable • Responsibilities established by law (Congress) • Implementation carried out by bureaucrats Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 5

The Executive Branch • Constitution gives president power to appoint • Article II, Section

Cabinet Structure • Fifteen major departments headed by cabinet secretaries • • Secretaries appointed by president Law and policy implementation Provide advice to president Determine department budgets • Congress may create new cabinet departments Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 7

Newest Cabinet Department © 2003 AP/Wide World Photos Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 2002

What Defines a Bureaucracy? 1. Mission • Role and responsibilities 2. Hierarchical decision-making process • Ascending levels of authority 3. Expertise • Experts in issue area 4. Bureaucratic culture • Self-perpetuation Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 9

Role of Bureaucracy • • Define the problem Identify possible solutions Implement preferred course

The Census and Government Services This news story is about the U. S. Census process and how it affects government services provided to citizens. Air Date: 2010 Click the icon to open the movie Video Supplied by Motion Gallery Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 11

Video Questions 1. How important is the Census for allocating government funds to states and programs? 2. Does the U. S. government need to gather racial information? Why or why not? 3. Other than demographic data, what other criteria do bureaucracies use when administering programs? Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 12

Bureaucracy and the Policy Process • Client Groups • Congress • Iron Triangles and Issue Networks: long-term working relationships between interest groups, bureaucrats and Congress (or other decisionmakers) Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 13

The Veterans Affairs “Triangle” Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 14

The Politics of Bureaucracy • Bureaucracy and Public Opinion • Bureaucracy and the President

Models of Bureaucracy • Weberian model: neutral hierarchical system with formal procedures • Acquisitive model: bureaucracies will always try to expand • Monopolistic model: lack of competition leads to ineffeciencies • U. S. bureaucracies more autonomous than those in other countries Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 16

Growth of the Bureaucracy UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt/Landov • Post Office established 1775 • Congress established Departments of State, War, Treasury (1789) • Department of Interior (1849) • Department of Defense (post WWII) • Housing & Urban Development (1965) • Department of Energy (1970 s) • Department of Homeland Security (2003) • About 2. 7 million civilian employees Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 17

Bureaucracy in Action © Bob Daemmrich /Stock, Boston /Picture. Quest Copyright © 2011 Cengage

Federal Agencies and Their Employees Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 20

Government Employment at the Federal, State, and Local Levels Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning

The Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy • Cabinet Departments • Independent Executive Agencies • Independent Regulatory Agencies • Regulates a specific area of business or economy • Directed by presidential appointees • Independent (removed from political influence) • Based on expertise • Government Corporations • Businesses run by the government • Postal Service, Amtrak, FDIC Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 23

Major Regulatory Agencies • • The Federal Trade Commission (1914) The Federal Communications Commission (1934) The Securities and Exchange Commission (1934) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (1978) Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 24

Deregulation • The government regulation of industry, which increased during the New Deal administration of FDR, had by the 1970 s become a target of criticism. • In the 1970 s, President Carter called for deregulation of airlines, banking, trucking, railroads, and telecommunications. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 25

The Growth of Social Regulation • Although considerable deregulation of transportation, communications, and financial industries took place, social regulation increased during the 1970 s and 1980 s. • Americans with Disabilities Act • Civil Rights Act of 1991 Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 26

Staffing the Bureaucracy • Political Appointees • The aristocracy of the federal government •

Modern Attempts at Bureaucratic Reform • Sunshine Laws • The 1966 Freedom of Information Act • Changes after 9/11 • Sunset Laws require congressional review of existing programs to determine their effectiveness. If Congress does not explicitly reauthorize a program, it expires. Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 28

The Civil Service • Patronage appointments (spoils system) • Jackson presidency • Incompetence and corruption • The Road to Reform • 1850 s • Pendleton Act (1863) • Establishes Civil Service Commission • Merit system appointments • Neutral competence Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 29

The Carter Reforms • The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 • Modernizes personnel system • Whistleblowers Protection Agency • Senior Executive Service (to fill top management positions) Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 30

The New Yorker Collection 1980. Robert Weber from cartoonbank. com. All rights reserved. “I’m

Modern Attempts at Bureaucratic Reform (cont) • Privatization • Incentives for Efficiency and Productivity • The Government Performance and Results Act (1997) • Saving Costs through E-Government • Whistleblowers • Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers); Bunny Greenhouse (Halliburton); Coleen Rowley (FBI) • Many lose jobs or are demoted Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 32

Billion Dollar Fraud and mismanagement are rampant in the Medicare program in Houston and across the nation. Air Date: 2/08/2008 Click the icon to open the movie Video Supplied by Motion Gallery Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 33

Video Questions 1. When fraudulent practices associated with a bureaucracy (in this case, Medicare) come to light, who is usually blamed? 2. Should hospitals that overbilled Medicare be penalized? How? 3. Is it ethical for whistleblowers to receive a financial reward? Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 34

Bureaucrats as Politicians and Policymakers • The Rulemaking Environment • Waiting periods and court

Congressional Control of the Bureaucracy • Ultimate control is in the hands of Congress because Congress controls the purse strings. • Congressional bureaucratic control includes: • establishment of agencies and departments • the budget process • oversight conducted through investigations, hearings, and review Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 36

Questions for Critical Thinking 1. What could be done to eliminate iron triangles? 2. In modern times, we tend to equate the term “bureaucracy” with “red tape” or inefficiency. How does the goal of neutrality and the need for specialization help reinforce those images? 3. Is privatization a good idea? What services or agencies should be exempt from private contracts? 4. How did lapses in regulatory agencies contribute to the recent mortgage lending crisis? Copyright © 2011 Cengage Learning 37