The federal bureaucracy “the fourth branch”

Structure of the Bureaucracy

Structure of the Bureaucracy Definition: the agencies, departments, commissions, etc. within the executive branch Myths of the Bureaucracy Include Exec. Office of the President, the Cabinet (already covered)

Independent regulatory agencies Created by Congress to regulate important aspects of the nations economy Generally, decisions of these are beyond presidential control Quasi-legislative power. Policy implementation Quasi-judicial power

Important regulatory commissions Federal Reserve Board FCC FEC NLRB SEC FTC FAA

Government corporations Created by Congress to carry out various business operations Postal Service FDIC TVA Amtrak

Independent agencies Organized like Cabinet depts., but lack status NASA SBA

Growth of the Bureaucracy

Background Development of the civil service system Size Pendleton Act (1881) Hatch Act (1993) Size Roughly 3 million (2.7 million currently) Power of the bureaucracy Discretionary authority—when Congress writes broadly-worded laws it allows for bureaucratic interpretation

Reasons for growth of the bureaucracy National growth Technology International crises Citizen demands Persistent nature of agencies

Government Employment at Federal, State, and Local Levels © 2004 Wadsworth Publishing / Thomson Learning™

Federal Government: Money, People, and Regulations just the bottom chart.

Federal Government: Money, People, and Regulations just the bottom chart.

Influences on Bureaucratic Behavior

Influences on the Bureaucracy Recruitment & retention policies “buddy system” or a “good ol’ boys network” Very difficult to fire civil servants Effects: continuity, expertise in policies Personal attributes of bureaucrats More representative of the American people Legal constraints Organizational constraints

Controlling the Bureaucracy

Presidential influences Powers Appointment/firing Propose budgets Reorganization—although difficult, it is possible Checks on presidential influence All the above must go through Congress

Congressional influences Powers Appropriations of agency budgets $$$ Standing oversight committees GAO Appointment confirmations Limits on congressional influence Congress may not want to interfere in bureaucracy

Interest group influence Lobbying Revolving door Iron triangles

Other influences Media Courts Privatization