1 The Bureaucracy

2 The United States Bureaucracy Bureaucracy: a large, complex organization composed of appointed officials claybennett.com

The United States Bureaucracy Political authority over the bureaucracy is shared by president and Congress Federal agencies share functions with related state and local government agencies 3 manhattanstrategy.com

4 Growth of the Bureaucracy Patronage in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries rewarded supporters, induced congressional support, and built party organizations history.com

Growth of the Bureaucracy The Civil War showed the administrative weakness of the federal government and increased demands for civil service reform 5 etc.usf.edu

6 Role of Government Laissez-faire – limited government interference in commerce The proper role of government was to promote not regulate the economy flickr.com

Role of Government The Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states It took a long time for people to accept agencies and commissions making regulatory decisions 7 stus.com Gibbons v. Ogden

8 Growth of the Bureaucracy The post-Civil War period saw industrialization and the emergence of a national economy The power of national government to regulate interstate commerce became necessary and controversial jthgroup1.wikispaces.com

9 Expansion of the Bureaucracy The Depression and World War II led to government activism The Supreme Court upheld laws that granted discretion to administrative agencies Heavy use of income taxes supported war effort and a large bureaucracy thegreatdepression.co.uk berkeley.ed u

10 Growth of the Bureaucracy Today Modest increase in the number of government employees Significant indirect increase in number of employees through use of private contractors, state and local government employees Although there are two million civilian employees in the Federal government, most people are shocked to learn that there are over 10 million contractors working for the Federal government—over five times as many contractors as there are civil servants. This brings the actual size of the Federal workforce to nearly 13 million workers, which is nearly 10 percent of the entire U.S. workforce.

Growth of the Bureaucracy Today Growth in discretionary authority – the extent to which bureaucrats can make policies and take actions not spelled out in advance by laws 11 pollsb.com Endangered Species

12 Power of the Bureaucracy Delegated Authority by Congress Pay subsidies to groups and organizations in society – farmers, schools, veterans Transfer money from the federal government to the state and local governments – grant-in- aids, block grants blackfive.net

Power of the Bureaucracy Delegated Authority by Congress Devising and enforcing regulations for various sectors of society – safety features on automobiles, scientific research, pollution controls 13 johnstonpineygrove.org

14 Federal Government: Increase in Regulations Expenditures and employment: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2000, Nos. 483 and 582; regulations; Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Miemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics (Washington D.C>: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1998), tables 6-12, Post-2000 data updated by Marc Siegal.

Pigs is Pigs 15

16 Recruitment and Retention Competitive service: bureaucrats compete for jobs through Office of Personnel Management Appointment by merit based on written exam or through selection criteria 24newsus.com

Recruitment and Retention Increased decentralization has increasingly allowed agencies to make their own hires and bypass the OPM Driven by the need to hire people with specialized services 17 gizmodo.com

18 Characteristics of Federal Civilian Employees, 1960 and 1999 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1961, ; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2000, Nos. 450, 482, 500, 595, 1118.

19 Carrying Out Policy Most bureaucrats try to carry out policy, even those they disagree with But bureaucrats do have obstructive powers— Whistleblower Protection Act (1989) Most civil servants have highly structured jobs that make their personal attitudes irrelevant whistleblowersblog.org eyespypro.com

20 Constraints on the Bureaucracy Constraints are much greater on government agencies than on private bureaucracies Hiring, firing, pay, and other procedures are established by law, not by the market Constraints come from citizens: agencies try to respond to citizen demands for openness, honesty, and fairness

21 Agency Allies Agencies often seek alliances with congressional committees and interest groups Iron Triangles – Agency – Congressional Committee – Interest Groups roselawgroup.com

22 absoluteastronomy.com

Agency Allies These alliances are far less common today—politics has become too complicated Replaced by - Issue networks: groups that regularly debate government policy on certain issues – interest groups, media, congressional staffs, universities, and think tanks 23 c-span.org onedayonejob.com

24 Diminishing Role of the Iron Triangle Increase in the amount of interest groups has subjected Congress to a variety of competing interests The growth of subcommittees has required agencies to respond to different legislative groups that may have different priorities

25 healthcaremusings.com

Financial resources - America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and Centers for Medicaid and State Operations (CMS) Delivery system - American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), and American Psychological Association (APA) Consumers - AARP, Families USA, Business Roundtable, AFL-CIO, and National Federation of Independent Business Nonfinancial resources - Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Physicians for a National Health Program, and American Medical Association (AMA) Government - U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) 26

Diminishing Role of the Iron Triangle The courts have made it easier for interest groups and individuals to directly intervene in agency affairs without going through Congress rf.com

28 Congressional Oversight Congress creates agencies Congress authorizes funds for programs Congressional appropriations provide funds for the agency to spend on its programs Congressional investigations

29 Bureaucratic Pathologies Red tape: complex, sometimes conflicting rules Conflict: agencies work at cross- purposes Duplication: two or more agencies seem to do the same thing rebmordechaiwrites.blogspot.com

Bureaucratic Pathologies Imperialism: tendency of agencies to grow, irrespective of programs’ benefits and costs Waste: spending more than is necessary to buy some product or service 30 deathby1000papercuts.com

31 Reforming the Bureaucracy Most rules and red tape are due to struggles between the president and Congress or to agencies’ efforts to avoid alienating influential voters Periods of divided government worsen matters, especially in implementing policy