Bureaucracy --Bureaucratic Structures --Empowering/Constraining Factors --Bureaucratic Policymaking

Bureaucracy—Structure I. Constitutional Position of the Bureaucracy A. Created by Congress—powers of Congress over bureaucracy: 1. Approve budgets 2. Organize 3. Confirm appointments 4. Legislative oversight 5. Legislative “veto” (Chadha v. INS, 1983) B. Responsible to President—powers of President over bureaucracy: 1. Sets enforcement priorities (“faithful execution” of laws) a. Executive Orders (SNL) 2. Presents budget to Congress a. “central legislative clearance” 3. Appoints bureaucratic leaders C. Therefore, bureaucracy has TWO masters

Bureaucracy—Structure II. Types of Agencies A. Departments (“Department of…”) 1. Largest and most prestigious bureaucratic agencies 2. Structure: Pyramidal, with unitary leaders a. Heads of departments are members of President’s cabinet b. Heads are called “Secretary of…” except for Department of Justice (called “Attorney General”) 3. Functions: Various, depending on the department a. national maintenance b. clientele services c. income redistribution 4. Personnel: Career civil servants, with president’s political appointees at the top a. Civil servants can sometimes hinder a president’s plans b. No longer a “spoils system” Secretary of…

Bureaucracy—Structure II. Types of Agencies (cont.) B. Independent Executive Agencies 1. Features are like departments 2. Key differences—more specialized mission and less prestige (leaders are not part of the president’s cabinet) a. Examples: NASA, EPA, etc. C. Independent Regulatory Commissions 1. Structure: board with plural leadership 2. Functions: regulating the private sector a. Powers i. Rule-making ii. Rule adjudication iii. Rule enforcement (“The FCC won’t let me be…”) 3. Personnel: Career civil servants and fixed-term political appointees (terms are staggered, to limit presidential influence) D. Government Corporations: sell services for income

Bureaucracy—Structure III. Trends in the Federal Bureaucracy over time—growth A. Employees 1. Kind of… B. Budget C. Regulations POLITICS OF BUREAUCRACY I. Political Character of Agency Goals: A. Mission Goals B. Survival Goals— “bureaucratic inertia” 1. Reagan and the Department of Education C. Priority of Survival over Mission Goals

Bureaucracy—Empowering/Constraining I. Factors the Empower the Bureaucracy A. Expertise 1. Principal-Agent relationship 2. Leads to “administrative discretion” B. Clientele Support II. Factors that Constrain the Bureaucracy A. Congressional Oversight 1. “Police Patrol”: committee hearings 2. “Fire Alarm”: special investigations, casework a. “Whistleblowers” B. Presidential Priorities (Obama and national defense) C. Competing Agencies (cellphones on planes) 1. Obama example D. Adversely Affected Interest Groups (corn, cows, and turkeys) E. Federal Courts

Bureaucracy—Policy-Making I. Subgovernments (Iron Triangles) vs. Issue Networks A. Subgovernments (Iron Triangles) 1. Context a. Narrow Policy Range b. Operational anonymity (no one is really paying attention) c. Many, MANY subgovernments in operation d. RESULT: no perceived losers, little conflict. Everybody gets what they want AGENCY CAPTURE 2. The Iron Triangle in Operation—Consequences a. Who is NOT in that picture? b. Creates insulated pockets of policy-making c. Shapes policy towards those who are “connected” (interest groups) d. Obstructs comprehensive policy-making (the federal budget??) B. Issue Networks—more recent, updated policy-making model 1. More publicity, less insulation 2. More and competing participants 3. More conflictual process