Why is the Bureaucracy often called the fourth branch?

Why do we have a Bureaucracy? Deliver benefits Regulate business/economy Carry out government work IT IMPLEMENTS POLICY, MAKES WHAT POLITICIANS/GOVERNMENT SAY A REALITY Benefits include: social security, education, medicare, safe roads, postal system, public transportation, safety/police Regulations protect you: FDA and USDA, OSHA/Dept of Labor, FCC, EPA, Gov’t Work: defense (military, DOD, CIA), police (FBI), tax (IRS) Executive Agencies: NASA

Bureaucracy System of administrative deptartments that carry out the work of the government

Who are the bureaucrats? Unelected officials, they are Civil Servants: Pendleton Act Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Senior Executive Service Merit, promotions

Who are the Bureaucrats Unelected Top level bureaucrats are appointed by president Middle and low level bureaucrats hired, according to civil service system, to ensure people hired based on merit In the past, presidents used the spoils system and gave patronage jobs

How do they do their job? Agency Rules Specialization resources Implement policy >> make policy? Rules, specialization, impersonality (quality control/equality)

How does the Bureaucracy Affects you? Treats you equally (to be fair, but also may be frustrating when you have special circumstance) Follows rules/procedures to prevent fraud or abuse You have to do paperwork and are a number in the system

Bureaucracies Public Department of Public Safety University of Texas Private Mc Donalds Walmart

This school is a bureaucracy Texas State Law provides free public education and students must attend until 18* Your principle and teachers are bureaucrats: they carry out these laws. They have discretion. They make specific rules, enforce the rules, and establish punishments. What do these powers sound like???? They legislate (make rules), execute (enforce rules), and judge (determine if you break rules and how to punish). So do many other agencies. For Example: DPS

Why they don’t always work (well) Unclear laws Program design is flawed Lack of resources SOP (standard operating procedures) Administrative discretion

How Bureaucracies Are Organized Cabinet Departments: 15 departments under president Pres nominates each secretary The 15 secretaries = President’s Cabinet (group of advisors) Other Bureaucratic Agencies: Independent Regulatory Commissions (regulate business/economy) Government Corporations (USPS) The Independent Executive Agencies (NASA) Lecture Outline In general, there are four types of bureaucracies: cabinet departments, regulatory agencies, government corporations, and independent executive agencies. Cabinet Departments Each department manages specific policy areas, and each has its own budget and its own staff. Each department has a mission and is organized differently. Bureaus (sometimes they are called administration, service, or office) divide the work into more specialized areas. Independent Regulatory Commissions Each of the independent regulatory agencies has responsibility for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules designed to protect the public interest; they also judge disputes over those rules. They are sometimes called the “alphabet soup” of American government because most such agencies are known by their initials: ICC (Interstate Commission), FRB (Federal Reserve Board), NLRB (National Labor Relations Board), FCC (Federal Communications Commission), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). Each of the agencies is governed by a small commission, appointed by the president for fixed terms of office and confirmed by the Senate; regulatory commission members cannot be fired by the president. Critics claim that the close connection between the regulators and the industries they regulate has meant that the agencies have become the “captives” of industry. Government Corporations Government corporations provide a service that could be handled by the private sector. They typically charge for their services, though often at cheaper rates than the consumer would pay a private sector producer. Examples include the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Amtrak, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); the U.S. Postal Service is the largest of the government corporations. The independent executive agencies are not part of the cabinet departments and generally do not have regulatory functions; they usually perform specialized functions. Their administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure. Examples include the General Services Administration (GSA), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Social Security Administration To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

LO 15.2 To Learning Objectives Figure 15.2 Organization of the Executive Branch To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

President as a manager Josh Ernest on Ebola Czar

Examine the Government Using the handout

LO 15.2 To Learning Objectives Figure 15.3 Organization of the Department of the Interior To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

LO 15.3 To Learning Objectives Fragmentation (why programs fail) - hyperpluralism To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

So why is it called the 4th branch?