Democracy Under Pressure

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Democracy Under Pressure

• Chapter 14
• The Bureaucracy

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The Bureaucracy

• Bureaucracy is the business of making
  government work.
• A Bureaucrat is an administrator. In PS the term
  used to describe the bureaucracy is Public
  Administration.
• Theorist Arendt described bureaucracy as, an
  intricate system of bureaus in which no men.
  Neither one nor the best, neither the few or the
  many, can be held responsible.

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The Bureaucracy

• The Bureaucracy
• Generally considered secretive, top-down
  authority, rigid rules and regulations
• Often blamed for societys problems
• Americans tend to be against Big Government but
  they also demand lots of government services.
• Bureaucrats are civil servants and help shape
  policy through the advise they give to officials.

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The Bureaucracy

• Triangles, Iron triangles, and sub-governments
  describes a network of organizations that works
  together for mutual benefit. It refers to three
  political actors
• Interest groups,
• Congressional Committees and,
• Cabinet department

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The Bureaucracy

• Executive agencies - are independent agencies of
  government, under the president, within the
  executive branch that are not a part of the
  cabinet, but report to the president.
• Independent Regulatory Agencies Government
  agencies that exercise quasi-judicial and
  quasi-legislative powers and are administratively
  independent of both the president and Congress
  (although politically independent of neither.)

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The Bureaucracy

• Government Corporations - Agencies that were at
  one time semiautonomous but that through
  legislation have been placed under presidential
  control since 1945.
• Whistle-blowers - are government employees who
  publicly expose evidence of official waste or
  corruption that they have learned in the course
  of their duties.

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The Bureaucracy

• Political patronage/spoils system - The practice
  under which victorious politicians reward their
  followers with jobs.
• Civil Service system a system designed to make
  government more efficient and fair. Characterized
  by (a) competitive exams and (b) a merit system.
• Constituents voters in a political district, or
  supporters of an elected official or interest
  groups or client groups that are either directly
  regulated by the bureaucracy or vitally affected
  by its decision.

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The Bureaucracy

• Regulatory agencies were created because of the
  need for rule making and regulation in highly
  complex, technical areas involving the interest
  of the public. Examples
• FTC prevents unfair competition
• FCC licenses and regulates TV
• SEC protect public from investing in securities
• FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission),
  Regulates natural gas including price.

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The Bureaucracy

• Government could not function without
  bureaucrats. Controlling them has been a
  continuing challenge to the American system.