To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato  Pearson Education, 2009  Chapter 9 The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy

The Roots of Bureaucracy  Foreign Affairs, War, Treasury first departments.  Growth in early 1800s with Post Office.  Patronage and the spoils system become common.Patronagespoils system  Civil War spawns another expansion.  Pendleton Act is beginning of civil service system.Pendleton Act  Also known as merit system.merit system  Creation of independent regulatory commissions.independent regulatory commissions

Twentieth-Century Bureaucracy  Growing number of cabinet departments.  Need for a larger government to support wars.Need for a larger government to support wars  New Deal and Great Society.

Modern Bureaucracy  More than 2.7 million employees.More than 2.7 million employees  Most are selected based on merit.  Also have high-level appointees.  Wide variety of skills represented.  Less diverse than America.Less diverse than America  Scattered throughout D.C. and regional offices.regional offices  Growth of outside contractors.

Formal Organization  Cabinet departments handle broad, lasting issues.  Headed by secretaries.  Government corporations act like businesses.  Independent executive agencies handle services.  Narrower than Cabinet department, independent.  Independent regulatory commissions watch industry.  Designed to be free from partisan pressure.

Government Workers and Politics  Hatch Act sets first boundaries.Hatch Act  Federal Employees Political Act is current standard.Federal Employees Political Act

Characteristics of Bureaucracy  Chain of command from top to bottom.  Division of labor.  Clear lines of authority.  Goal orientation.  Merit system.  Productivity.

How the Bureaucracy Works  Congress creates agencies.  Main job is implementation of laws.  Policy made in iron triangles or issue networks.iron trianglesissue networks  Increasing use of interagency councils.

Making Policy  Administrative discretion allows a lot of latitude.Administrative discretion  Rule-making is a quasi-legislative process.  Formal procedure for making regulations.  Administrative adjudication is quasi-judicial process.Administrative adjudication  Used to settle disputes between two parties.

Agency Accountability  Unclear who agencies should be accountable to.  Presidents try to make the right appointments.  Can also shape policy through executive orders.executive orders  Congress can use oversight powers and funding.  Police patrol v. fire alarm oversight.  Judiciary can review regulations.

AV- Growth of Government  Back

Figure 9.1- Civilian Employment  Back

Figure 9.2- Employee Characteristics  Back

Figure 9.3- Agency Regions  Back

Figure 9.4- The Executive Branch  Back

Figure 9.5- An Iron Triangle  Back

Figure 9.6- Rulemaking  Back

Table 9.1- FEPA  Back

Table 9.2- Agency Accountability  Back

Patronage Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support Back

Spoils System Practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party—as opposed to a system of awarding offices on the basis of some measure of merit independent of political activity.merit Back

Pendleton Act A federal law that established the rules and regulations regarding who could be hired for and retain jobs within the federal government Back

Merit System System used by federal and state governments for hiring and promoting governmental employees to civil service positions on the basis of competence Back

Independent Regulatory System An agency created by Congress that is generally concerned with a specific aspect of the economy Back

Hatch Act A 1939 law to prohibit civil servants from taking part in political campaigns from their work place, or using their positions in the government as influence. Back

Issue Networks A collection of interest groups and people who join together to advocate for a specific problem and for changing a government policy that pertains to that problem. These alliances created make it possible for people to join together on their issue to change government policies pertaining to that issue. Back

Executive Order Rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law. All executive orders must be published in the Federal Register. Back

Administrative discretion The ability of bureaucrats to make choices concerning the best way to implement congressional intentions Back

Administrative Abjudication The process by which an administrative agency issues a decision that can affect policies within the agency from that time forward. These changes only take place in that bureaucratic branch and do not necessary apply to any other agency. Back