The Federal Bureaucracy An easy target….and a necessary evil

An Overview Any major organization is a bureaucracy unelected policy making bodies Bureaucracy is a neutral word Easy to bash…Conservatives say it too large, liberal, and unaccountable Liberals say it too slow, too status quo, doesn’t protect us enough (epa)

Myths and Realities #1 Americans do not like bureaucrats (myth) #2 Bureaucracies are too intrusive and getting bigger. Periods of growth Post civil War Great Depression Great Society/Cold War

More Myths and Realities #3 Most bureaucrats live in D.C. (myth) #4 Bureaucrats are ineffective, inefficient and stuck in red tape True, but they protect and help citizens Red tape can benefit consumers

Bureaucratic Theories Weber model-necessary but inevitable/draw power from expertise Rational Model-necessary due to complex policy-making Heirarchical power structure Task specialization Merit principle

More theories... Monopolistic Work expands to fill time Acquisitive…act like corporations to expand budgets Monopolistic…there is no alternative Fire Police Schools

One more theory…The Garbage Can Will grow as they try out ideas Many ideas are trial and error Will latch onto any idea, pull it out of the garbage can and see if it works

How Do You Become a Bureaucrat? Can you get fired? Patronage Reform Appointment Powers Firing a Bureaucrat Only 200 out of 3 million workers fired for incompetence Chart explaining how to fire a worker is 12 feet wide

Bureaucratic Organizations Cabinet-15 Departments Independent Regulatory Agencies FDA, FCC, FEC, SEC Independent Executive Agencies CIA, NASA, EPA, Government Corporations TVA, FDIC, AMTRAK, Postal Service

Diagram of US Government

Source: Paul C. Light, The True Size of Government (Washington, D. C Source: Paul C. Light, The True Size of Government (Washington, D.C.: Brooking Institution, 1999). Data for 1996.

Controlling the Bureaucracy The President Congress Authorization of Funds Appropriating Funds Investigations and hearings Oversight Budget investigations

The Iron Triangle Cool Band Name or Obscure AP Concept? 3-way alliance among legislators in Congress, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups Issue Networks-slowly replacing iron triangles as policymaking becomes more complex Often temporary and include outside forces like think tanks, the media, congressmen, and interest groups