Chapter 13: Bureaucracy

I. Growth of the Bureaucracy A. Constitutional Provisions Very little mention President appoints heads of executive agencies Congress has the right to appropriate money, investigate, and to shape the laws they administer

A. Pre Civil War – almost non existent B. Post Civil War – Industrialization and emergence of a national economy prompted federal regulation of interstate commerce (ICC) Limited fed regulation because of the belief in Limited government States were viewed as the primary service provider/regulator Fear of concentrated power Belief in Laissez – faire economy

C Great Depression and WWII Led to increase in governmental activism. As a result, agencies took on a heightened regulatory role Income taxes let the government support a larger bureaucracy Public acceptance for social programs as a necessity

`` D change in Appointment method for Officials 18 th and 19 th Century – Most governmental appointments were made on the basis of patronage, in which supporters were awarded with government jobs Pendleton Act (1883) Began a transfer of jobs from patronage to a merit system

II. Activities of Agencies A. Trends Since 1960: Growth of in number of privately contracted employees Growth in number of state and local government employees Growth in discretionary authority of federal agencies, letting them make policy

B. Delegated Authority Paying subsidies to particular groups and organizations in society (farmers,veterans, scientists, schools, universities & hospitals) Transferring money to state and local government through grants Devising and enforcing regulations for various sectors of society, particularly the economy, schools, health care, roads and telecommunications

III. Bureaucrats A Recruitment and Retention Federal Civil Service system – Supposed to recruit qualified people on merit and and promote on performance Competitive Service – Appointed after having passed a written exam Excepted Service- Those bureaucrats hired outside the competitive service. Not hired based on an exam, but typically in a nonpartisan fashion Difficult to fire – Process often takes over a year

B. Personal and Professional Attributes Cross section of American society in terms of education, sex, and race African Americans still underrepresented in the executive level of most agencies Bureaucracies tend to be less discriminatory in hiring because of the civil service exam Typical civil servant: middle aged male with a college degree. Career civil servants tend to be more pro- government than the public at large

C. Nature of their Jobs Career bureaucrats often differ politically from the political appointees that head their agencies. Tend to have highly structured jobs that make their personal attitudes irrelevant – thus they are likely to carry out policies that they disagree with. “Whistle Blower” legislation protects them if they report waste, fraud or abuse Agency Culture – Informal understanding within the agency on how to act. It can motivate, but it also makes agencies resistant to change.

IV. Congressional Oversight A. Takes several forms 1. No Agency can exist without congressional approval and Congress influences agency behavior by the statutes it enacts 2. No money can be spent unless Congress first authorizes it. Authorization legislation states the max amount of $ an agency can spend on a program 3. Even if funds authorized, they can’t be spent unless appropriated. House Appropriations Committee does this annually

B. House Appropriations Committee Can recommend an amount lower than the agencies budget request Can revise or amend an agencies budget request Gives them significant power over agency policy Single most powerful influence on agency spending and policy

C. Investigations Congress can hold investigative hearings into agency behavior This power is not setout in the Constitution, but the Sp Ct has consistently upheld Congress’ right to do so as an implied power.

V. Reform A. Problems Red tape- complex rules and procedures that mustbe followed to get something done Along with Waste, results from the obligation of bureaucrats to execute policy in accord with rules set by elected officials Conflict – Agencies working at cross purposes Along with Duplication, results because congress often wants to achieve a number of different, sometimes inconsistent goals, or can’t decide which goals it values most. Duplication- two agencies seem to do the same thing Imperialism- Agencies tend to grow without regard to the benefits their programs offer Natural tendency of agencies to try to survive after their original purpose may have ended Waste – spend more than necessary to buy some products

Reform Difficult to accomplish Rules and red tape grow out of struggles between the president and Congress Several reforms have stressed presidential control for the sake of efficiency, accountability and consistency