The Federal Bureaucracy It is bigger and better

The Federal Bureaucracy It is bigger and better or to cumbersome?

Objectives What is Bureaucracy? l Who are they and how did they get there? l How does it impact us today? l Why is it important to our everyday lives? l

The Bureaucrats l Some Bureaucratic Myths and Realities – Americans dislike bureaucrats. – Bureaucracies are growing bigger each year. – Most federal bureaucrats work in Washington, D. C. – Bureaucracies are ineffective, inefficient and always mired in red tape. – Most tasks are not controversial.

The Bureaucrats l Who They Are and How They Got There – Civil Service: From Patronage to Protection. Patronage: Job given for political reasons. l Civil Service: System of hiring and promotion based on merit and nonpartisanship. (Pendleton Act) l Merit Principle: Entrance exams and promotion ratings to find people with talent and skill. l Office of Personnel Management: The federal office in charge of most of the government’s hiring. l

The Bureaucrats l Who They Are and How They Got There – The Other Route to Federal Jobs: Recruiting from the Plum Book Published by Congress. l Lists the very top jobs available for Presidential appointment. l Presidents work to find capable people to fill the positions. l Some plum jobs (ambassadorships) are patronage. l

How Bureaucracies Are Organized l The Cabinet Departments – 13 Cabinet departments headed by a secretary – Department of Justice headed by Attorney General – Each has its own budget, staff and policy areas – Republicans have been trying to eliminate several departments

How Bureaucracies Are Organized Figure 15. 4

How Bureaucracies Are Organized l The Regulatory Agencies – Independent: Responsible for some sector of the economy making rules and judging disputes to protect the public interest. – Headed by a commission of 5 -10 people. – Rule making is an important function watched by interest groups and citizens alike.

How Bureaucracies Are Organized l The Government Corporations – Business like- provide a service like private companies and typically charges for its services. – Postal Service, Amtrak are examples l Independent Executive Agencies – The agencies that don’t fit in anywhere else. – NASA is an example

Four Types of Federal Agencies l 1. Executive Departments – Cabinet Heads appointed by the president – Confirmed by Senate with its advice & consent l 2. Independent Regulatory Commissions – Small commissions w/greater independence – Fix terms – can only be fired “for cause” l 3. Government Corporations – Government companies that serve Public for fee – Suppose to be self supporting – Insurance (FDIC), Energy (TVA), Trans (AMTRAC) l 4. Independent Agencies – Not part of Executive Department w/sub-cabinet rank – NASA, EPA, CIA – All heads serve at Pleasure of President 11

Bureaucracies as Implementers l What Implementation Means – It involves the translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program. – It includes: Creating / assigning an agency the policy l Turning policy into rules, regulations and forms. l Coordinating resources to achieve the goals. l Think about the new Homeland Security Agency l

Bureaucracies as Implementers l Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test – Program Design. – Lack of Clarity. Congressional laws are ambiguous and imprecise. l Sometimes the laws conflict with each other. l – Lack of Resources. l Agencies may be big, but not in the right areas.

Bureaucracies as Implementers l Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test – Lack of Resources. (continued) Many different types of resources are needed: personnel, training, supplies & equipment. l May also lack the authority to act. l – Administrative Routine. bring uniformity to complex organizations. l It is often difficult to change the routines. l

Bureaucracies as Implementers l Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test – Administrator’s Dispositions. Ability to select among various responses. l Street-level bureaucrats have the most discretion. l – Fragmentation. Some policies are spread among several agencies. l Some agencies have different rules for the same policy. l Think about CIA, FBI l

Bureaucracies as Implementers l. A Case Study: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 – Generally considered a success. – Had a clear, concise goal. – The implementation was clear. – Those carrying out the law had obvious authority and vigor to do so.

Bureaucracies as Regulators l Regulation Life in the Economy and in Everyday – Regulation: Use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. – A Full Day of Regulation. Federal agencies check, verify and inspect many of the products and services we take for granted. l Federal and state agencies provide many services. l

Bureaucracies as Regulators l Regulation: How It Grew, How It Works – Command-Control Policy: Government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks the progress and punishes offenders. – Incentive System: Market-like strategies are used to manage public policy. – Some agencies are proactive, some are reactive.

Bureaucracies as Regulators l Toward Deregulation – Deregulation: The lifting of restrictions on business, industry and professional activities. – Regulatory problems: Raises prices l Hurts U. S. ’s competitive position abroad l Does not always work well l – But some argue regulation is needed.

Understanding Bureaucracies l Bureaucracy and Democracy – Presidents Try to Control the Bureaucracy Appoint the right people. l Issue executive orders. l Tinker with the agency’s budget. l Reorganize an agency. l

Understanding Bureaucracies l Bureaucracy and Democracy – Congress Tries to Control the Bureaucracy Influence presidential appointments. l Tinker with the agency’s budget. l Hold hearings. l Rewrite the legislation or make it more detailed. l

Understanding Bureaucracies l Bureaucracy and Democracy – Iron Triangles and Issue Networks A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. l Exist independently of each other. l They are tough, but not impossible, to get rid of. l Some argue they are being replaced by wider issue networks that focus on more policies. l

Understanding Bureaucracies Figure 15. 5

Lets Make Up an Iron Triangle l BP l Agency l Special Interest Groups Involved

Issue Networks

Understanding Bureaucracies l Bureaucracy and the Scope of Government – Many state that this is an example of a government out of control. – But, the size of the bureaucracy has shrunk. – Some agencies don’t have enough resources to do what they are expected to do. – Only carry out the policies, Congress and the president decide what needs to be done.

Internet Resources l National Performance Review l U. S. Government Manual l Federal Register l Cabinet Departments l Independent Agencies & Commissions l OPM l Government Executive magazine