Chapter 11 Bureaucracy in a Democracy

Bureaucracy Basics Most private and public organizations are bureaucracies Means “rule by office or desk” A hierarchical organization design to accomplish policy goals/decisions. Basis for efficient, efficacious, operations Public examples - USPS, DOD, DOT, FEMA, CDC

Bureaucrats Public bureaucracies usually draw criticism not praise. Bureaucrats perform the day-to-day tasks of the federal government. Bureaucrats — maintain a paper trail, — communicate, — implement policy through rulemaking, — adjudicate disputes.

Growth of the Federal Bureaucracy State, Tres, War and Justice Interior Agriculture Commerce and Labor HHS HUD DOT Energy VA Home Land Security employees ,000 employees million employees million employees About 3,000 appointed by President

15-2 Federal Agencies and Their Respective Numbers of Civilian Employees

15-3 Government Employment at Federal, State, and Local Levels

Federal Bureaucracy As a % of Total Workforce

Ethnic Makeup

Types of Bureaucracies Executive Office of President Executive Departments Independent Agencies Independent Regulatory Commissions Government Corporations

15-5 Organization Chart of the Federal Government

Cabinet Departments Fifteen Departments Three Layered Levels –Secretary and Deputy –Undersecretaries –Bureau Level Service Agencies

Independent Agencies Bureaucratic agency not included in cabinet department headed by single individual CIA NASA General Services Administration (GSA) Small Business Administration (SBA) National Science Foundation (NSF)

Independent Regulatory Commissions Agency outside the cabinet headed by a commission regulating a specific industry or economic activity Interstate Commerce Commission –abolished in 1995 Civil Aeronautics Board –abolished in 1985 Securities and Exchange Commission Federal Communications Commission

Government Corporations Government agency run like a business so as to operate on self created revenue not taxes. USPS National Railroad Passenger Corp (Amtrak) FDIC

Bureaucrats - Civil Servants “Government by Gentleman” Jacksonian “spoils system” –party loyalists and campaign staff The Civil Service System is based on merit and replaced the spoils system with the Civil Service Reform Act Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 –Includes the OPM (in EOP) and a Merit Pay System with tenure and appointments. –Whistle-blower protection

Controlling the Bureaucracy Presidents Power Congresses Role Special Interest Groups Courts

Presidents Power Has limits Article II, Section 3 “..he shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed….” Size and Diversity make it a challenging task –1.7 million employees in cabinet departments –1.0 million employees in independent agencies Commitment to specialty not President Budget process can be as a control tool

Congress and Bureaucracy Congress creates agencies through legislative process Can control the conduct of the federal bureaucracy through appointment confirmations, oversight and the appropriations process. Oversight research tools –GAO, CBO, CRS Republican staff cuts in late 90s caused reductions in oversight

Termination Termination is the only certain way to reduce the size of the bureaucracy. Become very politicized and parochial Because of clientele relationships, it is practically impossible to terminate an agency.

Devolution Devolution is a policy of removing programs from federal control and placing them under the direction of state and local governments. Problems with unequal assumption of responsibilities by states.

Privatization Privatization is the process of removing all or part of a program from the public sector and turning its operation over to the private sector. Bush wants to move 850,000 federal jobs to the private sector.

Special Interest Groups Lobbying Going public –grassroots and issue advocacy Litigation Iron Triangle

Three Iron Triangles

Courts Judicial review of constitutionality Procedural fairness - groups must be given notice to comment on new rules and procedures. Interpreting practices - rules are reasonable in light of available evidence.

Regulation Types Economic - shape/limit industry or business practices Social Regulatory quasi -legislative Regulatory quasi-judicial

Regulation Process Constitution Congress President Laws Agencies Individuals or Businesses Code of Regulations