Unit V: Institutions The Federal Bureaucracy

Transcription

1 Unit V: Institutions The Federal Bureaucracy

2 Pythagorean Theorem - 24 words. Lord's Prayer - 66 words. Archimedes' Principle - 67 words. 10 Commandments words. Gettysburg Address words. Declaration of Independence - 1,300 words. US Government regulations on the sale of cabbage - 26,911 words.

3 Introduction to The Federal Bureaucracy What is it? Where is it? Who is it? What do they do? How do they get there?

4 A Basic Definition A bureaucracy is a hierarchical power structure. You ll find them in your Home School Sports team Church Political party So what is The Bureaucracy?

5 the collection of executive branch agencies responsible for administering the law under the leadership of the President.

6 Federal civilian employment 14.1

7 The Bureaucrats

8 The bureaucracy (Federal, State, and local) is everywhere Spokesman Review article: Plane Crash in East Spokane

9 A Few Stats The Department of Defense employs about half of all federal bureaucrats (50% civilian/50% uniformed). The Postal Service accounts for 25% of all federal civilian bureaucrats. Health professionals account for about 10%. only about 12% of bureaucrats work in Washington DC

10 Bureaucrats are the people who do the actual work of the government. aka Civil Servant Public Servant Agency Staff Government Employee

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12 Most bureaucrats perform non-controversial jobs that keep the system running smoothly.. deliver mail test milk clean streets issue Social Security and student loan checks run national parks inspect meat

13 Types of Bureaucratic Agencies Cabinet Independent Regulatory Agencies Government Corporations Independent Executive Agencies

14 Hiring and Firing of Bureaucrats Top Tier = Presidential appointments requiring Senate confirmation Plum Jobs = True patronage positions (Short Timers ladder climbers) Civil Service Employees= Vast majority of bureaucracy Merit based Career oriented positions Policies make it difficult to fire Institutional memory aka Bureaucratic inertia

15 How Bureaucracies Are Organized Cabinet Departments Independent Regulatory Commissions Government Corporations The Independent Executive Agencies

16 How Bureaucracies Are Organized The Cabinet Departments Fifteen Cabinet departments headed by a secretary [Department of Justice headed by Attorney General] Each has its own budget, staff, and policy areas Status as a cabinet department can be controversial Republicans have tried to disband Departments of Education, Energy, and Commerce

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19 How Bureaucracies Are Organized Independent Regulatory Commissions Government agency responsible for regulating some sector of the economy to protect the public interest. Examples Federal Reserve Board, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, National Labor Relations Board

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21 How Bureaucracies Are Organized Government Corporations Government organization provides a service that could be provided by private sector and typically charges for its services. You can not buy stock and you can not collect dividends like with private corporations. Examples United States Postal Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, Amtrak

22 How Bureaucracies Are Organized The Independent Executive Agencies The government agencies not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, and government corporations. Examples Social Security Administration, National Science Foundation, NASA

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24 Bureaucracies Implement Laws What Implementation Means Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test A Case Study of Successful Implementation: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Privatization

25 Bureaucracies Implement Laws What Implementation Means Policy Implementation Putting laws into practice. Implementation involves translating the goals and objectives of a law into a government program with practical, achievable goals.

26 Bureaucracies Implement Laws What Implementation Means (cont.) [3 elements of implementation:] Create a new agency or assign a new responsibility to an old agency. Translate policy goals into operational rules and develop guidelines for the program. Coordinate resources and personnel to achieve the goals.

27 Bureaucracies Implement Laws Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test (cont.) Lack of Clarity Bureaucracies are often asked to implement unclear laws and Congress can thus escape the messy details. Example Title IX of Education Act of 1972 was unclear, making implementation very complex.

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29 Bureaucracies Implement Laws Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test (cont.) Lack of Resources Bureaucracy can lack the staff, necessary training, funding, supplies, equipment, and/or authority to carry out the tasks it has been assigned to do.

30 Bureaucracies Implement Laws Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test (cont.) Administrators Dispositions A bureaucrat uses administrative discretion to select from many responses to a given problem. Street-level bureaucrats are in constant contact with public and have considerable discretion.

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32 Bureaucracies Implement Laws Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test (cont.) Fragmentation Responsibility for a policy is dispersed among many units within bureaucracy. Makes coordination of policies time consuming and difficult. Produces contradictory signals among the agencies involved.

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34 Bureaucracies Implement Laws A Case Study of Successful Implementation: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Goal was clear To register large numbers of African American voters. Implementation was straightforward Sending out people to register them.

35 Bureaucracies Implement Laws A Case Study of Successful Implementation: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (cont.) Authority of the implementors was clear They had the support of the attorney general and even U.S. marshals. Authority concentrated in the Justice Department disposed to implementing the law vigorously.

36 Bureaucracies Implement Laws Privatization Private contractors have become a 4 th branch of government. Contracting for services The theory is that private sector competition will result in better service at lower costs, but no evidence has proved this. Contracting leads to less public scrutiny as programs are hidden. [think Homeland Security, NSA, etc remember Edward Snowden?]

37 Privatization: Pros Space X is taking over rocket development for NASA and Boeing is developing their own system as well.

38 Privatization: Cons Should we privative air traffic control? What s the goal of private companies?

39 Privatization: Pros What s the worst that will happen if they forget to pick up your garbage?

40 Privatization: Cons Should we privative water treatment facilities?

41 Bureaucracies as Regulators Regulation Use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. Congress gives bureaucrats broad mandates to regulate activities as diverse as interest rates, the location of nuclear power plants, and food additives.

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43 Bureaucracies as Regulators Regulation in the Economy and in Everyday Life (cont.) [3 elements of regulation:] A grant of power and set of directions from Congress. A set of rules and guidelines by the regulatory agency itself. Some means of enforcing compliance with congressional goals and agency regulations.

44 Bureaucracies as Regulators Deregulation The lifting of government restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities. Regulation critics Regulation distorts market forces, raises prices, hurts America s competitive position abroad, and fails to work well.

45 Bureaucracies as Regulators Deregulation (cont.) Deregulation critics Point out that deregulation does not protect the public against severe environmental damage and power shortages, failures in the savings and loan industry, and bursts in real estate market.

46 Regulation vs. Deregulation On the Left Greater regulation means Protected workers Protected environment Protected consumers Protected liberties Equality under the law On the Right Less regulation fosters More competition Lower costs Higher quality Smaller government More freedom Personal responsibility Which side are you on? Read How Should We Regulate? on page 495 to help you decide!

47 Managing & Controlling the Bureaucracy: Yet Another Struggle for Power Generally, the President has a difficult time controlling the bureaucracy because It s so gosh darn big Overwhelming majority of employees are career oriented loyalties? Cabinet members allegiances are often split between preferences of the president and needs of their department.

48 Managing & Controlling the Bureaucracy: Yet Another Struggle for Power The President Uses patronage power Appoints partisan allies Establishes agenda Utilizes executive orders Utilizes signing statements Tinkers with budgets (OMB) Congress Uses confirmation power Tinkers with budgets (CBO) Conducts legislative oversight Writes sunset legislation Holds power to create/destroy agencies THINK IRON TRIANGLE

49 Iron Triangles: One example 14.5

50 Summary Bureaucrats shape policy as administrators, implementers, and regulators. Bureaucracy s primary responsibility is the implementation of public policy. Federal bureaucracy has not grown but has in fact shrunk of late.

51 The civil service system was designed to 1. hire and promote bureaucrats on the basis of merit. 2. produce an administration with talent and skill. 3. protect workers from politically motivated firings. 4. all of the above.

52 The civil service system was designed to 1. hire and promote bureaucrats on the basis of merit. 2. produce an administration with talent and skill. 3. protect workers from politically motivated firings. 4. all of the above.

53 Which of the following is NOT one of the four types of agencies into which the federal bureaucracy is organized? 1. Cabinet Departments 2. Independent Regulatory Commissions 3. Government Corporations 4. Independent Legislative Agencies

54 Which of the following is NOT one of the four types of agencies into which the federal bureaucracy is organized? 1. Cabinet Departments 2. Independent Regulatory Commissions 3. Government Corporations 4. Independent Legislative Agencies

55 Which of the following is NOT one of the three main factors that make policy implementation difficult? 1. faulty program design 2. unclear laws 3. lack of resources 4. clear goals

56 Which of the following is NOT one of the three main factors that make policy implementation difficult? 1. faulty program design 2. unclear laws 3. lack of resources 4. clear goals

57 Government is the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. 1. regulation 2. command-and-control policy 3. incentive system 4. deregulation

58 Government is the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. 1. regulation 2. command-and-control policy 3. incentive system 4. deregulation

59 The development of subgovernments to include a system of issue networks ensures more 1. presidents are now involved in all policy areas. 2. subgovernments are virtually impossible to dismantle. 3. policymaking is stable and predictable. 4. widespread participation in the policy process.

60 The development of subgovernments to include a system of issue networks ensures more 1. presidents are now involved in all policy areas. 2. subgovernments are virtually impossible to dismantle. 3. policymaking is stable and predictable. 4. widespread participation in the policy process.