Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats

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Scot McCormick
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1 Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats Bureaucracy means government run by desks. We use this term to refer to the principles of organization in governmental administration. Bureaucratic procedures are often inefficient and frustrating.

2 Bureaucracy In recent years, Presidents have argued that the federal government has grown too large. Republican Ronald Reagan declared that government is often the problem. Democrat Bill Clinton proclaimed that the era of big government is over.

3 Bureaucracy Despite this concern that government might be the problem, it turns out that the federal bureaucracy has hardly grown at all during the past quarter century. The size of the federal workforce as a percentage of the total workforce has declined; and The size of the federal budget as a percentage of the overall economy has remained largely unchanged since 1960.

4 Bureaucrat Bureaucrat is the term used to describe the employees in public bureaucracies who are selected based on merit through the civil service system. Bureaucrats: implement public policy make administrative rules engage in administrative adjudication

5 Bureaucracy implementation defined: The efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic routines. rule making defined: a quasi-legislative process in which agencies produce regulations administrative adjudication defined: applying rules and precedents to specific cases to settle disputes with regulated parties

6 The Organization of the Executive Branch The bureaucracy is organized into departments and independent agencies. Departments are organized into tiers: 1 st Tier Secretary 2 nd Tier Undersecretaries 3 rd Tier Bureau level

7 Independent Agencies Independent agencies are executive organizations outside the departmental structure. Examples include: NASA CIA Environmental Protection Agency.

8 Independent Regulatory Agencies Independent regulatory commissions have broad discretion to make rules for particular industries. Examples include: the Federal Trade Commissions the Federal Communications Commission the Federal Elections Commission

9 Iron Triangle Relationship Departments and agencies exist in political contexts often representing specific groups, or clients, and the public at large. iron triangles defined: the stable, cooperative relationships that often develop between a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and supportive interest groups

10 National Security Some agencies and departments work to provide national security. Internal security agencies include the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Agencies for external security include the Departments of Defense and State.

11 Economic Policy Other agencies and departments are designed to maintain a strong economy by regulating and otherwise affecting fiscal and monetary policies.

12 Economic Policy The Federal Reserve System of twelve federal reserve banks regulates member banks and uses monetary policies to fight inflation and deflation. Revenue agencies like the IRS and the U.S. Customs Service are responsible for collecting taxes and revenue for the government.

13 Downsizing the Bureaucracy Politicians have also sought to downsize the federal bureaucracy through termination devolution privatization

14 Downsizing Termination refers to the strategy of eliminating programs and departments. Devolution refers to an attempt to take power away from the national government bureaucracy and devolve down to the state and local levels.

15 Downsizing Privatization is a strategy of replacing government control or implementation of a program by contracting with private sector companies.

16 Can Bureaucracy Be Controlled? As chief executive, the President plays an important role in managing the federal bureaucracy.

17 Presidential Control Before-the-Fact Controls Presidential appointment of agency and department heads allow Presidents to control the executive by casting the right appointees. After-the-Fact Controls Presidents use executive orders, reorganization plans, influence over bureaucratic budgets, and clearance of administrative decisions to control bureaucratic activities.

18 Congressional Control Congress, too, controls the bureaucracy through oversight. Before-the-Fact Control Legislative language specifies policies to be implemented. After-the-Fact Control Congress s power of the purse is a tool to ensure bureaucratic compliance. Congress engages in oversight and investigative hearings to monitor bureaucratic activities.

Chapter 7 Bureaucracy and the Executive Branch. AP Government

Chapter 7 Bureaucracy and the Executive Branch AP Government The Paradoxes of Bureaucratic Politics Americans generally have negative views of bureaucracy, and we tend only to focus on bureaucracy when