THE BUREAUCRACY

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THE BUREAUCRACY
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What is a bureaucracy?
A set of complex hierarchical departments,
agencies, commissions, and their staffs that
exist to help the president carry out the
mandated charge to enforce the laws of the
nation.
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Is the bureaucracy too big?

• Common complaint by many Americans now is that
  govt is too big
• This idea is reinforced by many politicians that
  try to run against Washington, D.C.
• Many see the bureaucracy as just another name for
  red tape
• Bureaucracy was not always so large

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Development of Bureaucracy

• Washingtons bureaucracy had three depts. (State,
  War, Treasury)
• Increased demands led to increases in size
• Spoils System to Merit System
• Creation of the civil service system
• Regulating the economy
• Creation of IRCs
• New Deal
• World War II and later

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Reasons for Growth

• Science and Technology
• our society is more complex
• Business Regulation
• govt intervention into the market came to be
  accepted as necessary
• protects markets, protects consumers, workers,
  etc.
• more problems have led to more govt

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Reasons for Growth (cont)

• Social Welfare
• attitudes about the role of govt has changed
  here as well.
• belief that govt should provide support to
  certain individuals
• Belief in Progress
• Need govt to undertake large projects (e.g.,
  space race, War on Poverty, etc.)
• Ambitious Administrators

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Civil Service

• National bureaucracy has about 2.3 million
  employees (civilian and defense)
• Small number of these are located in D.C. (11)
• Size of federal bur. has been stable and
  shrinking. Increases in state/local

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Civil Servants Who are they?

• Most positions are merit based
• Some are not
• Appointed positions
• Low-level patronage
• Well-trained individuals high level of education
• Somewhat diverse but issues at higher levels

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Government Organization

• Cabinet Departments
• Biggest units (15) of executive branch covering
  broad areas of responsibility (e.g, DOD,
  Interior)
• Government Corporations
• Independent Agencies
• Not part of any cabinet agency, stand alone
  (e.g., CIA, NASA, EPA)
• Regulatory Commissions
• outside the direct control of the White House
  (FCC, FTC)
• Typically deal w/ aspects of economy

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Hatch Act and Beyond

• Hatch Act
• law enacted to prohibit civil servants from
  taking activist roles in partisan campaigns
• Was this a violation of First Amendment freedoms?
• Federal Employees Political Activities Act
• Liberalization of Hatch
• can now run for nonpartisan office make
  contributions

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Bureaucratic Policymaking

• Major function of agencies is policymaking
• Congress delegates power
• Congress creates agencies that establish an
  agency mandate
• This mandate gives the agency authority to make
  certain policy decisions
• Implementation
• process by which a law or policy is put into
  operation
• Iron Triangles and Issue Networks

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Bureaucratic Accountability

• Accountability is the ability to hold officials
  responsible for their actions
• Who should bureaucrats be responsible to?
• Bureaucratic officials are not elected by the
  public
• Can be held accountable by the president,
  Congress and the Courts

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Presidential Control

• Do presidents have sufficient control
• President appoints over 3000 people
• Reorganization
• Executive Orders
• Presidents have also centralized power
• All major regulations now go through OMB for
  review
• Agencies are not totally responsive

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Congressional Control

• Create or abolish agencies or functions
• Confirm appointees
• Hearings/investigations
• Budget controls
• New Laws
• Legislative veto