+ CH. 15 Fed. Bureaucracy

+ What is a bureaucracy? What exactly is a bureaucracy? An organization that operates with individuals specialized in various tasks and works with impersonality. Example: The BMV Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Impersonality? Regardless of thoughts or feelings, all individuals are treated the same. Focus more on procedures.

+ Misconceptions Americans dislike bureaucrats: Americans generally are satisfied with bureaucrats, not bureaucracies Bureaucracies are growing bigger each year: Number of employees is growing, but not in the federal gov’t Mainly in local Most federal bureaucrats are in D.C: Fewer than 1 in 5 are in D.C. Bureaucracies are ineffective and inefficient: When they work, people love them. When they don’t, people make a scene.

+ Want to become a Bureaucrat?! Patronage: Hiring and promotions based on political affiliation. Friends with a Senator of the majority, here, have a job. Pendleton Civil Service Act: Made hiring based on merit Evidence of your good work/ability Hatch Act: Prohibits gov’t employees from active participation in politics while on duty.

+ More Important terms Office of Personnel: Office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the fed. Government GS (General Schedule) rating: System of rating for salaries and experience GS 1 – GS 18 Senior Executive Service: Top 9000 federal gov’t managers at the top of the system *Organizational Charts on Pgs

+ Important Groups Independent Regulatory Commission: A gov’t eagency with responsibility for making/enforcing rules to protect public interest. Works within sectors of the economy and judging disputes Ex: FRB(Federal Reserve Board): Governs banks, regulates currency supply NLRB(National Labor Relations Board): Labor-management disputes FCC: Licensing radio and television stations for the public interest FTC(Fed. Trade Commission): Prevents against unfair business practices and monopolies

+ Government Corporations Two important facts: Provide a service that could be handled by the private sector. Typically charge for a service Cheaper than the private sector Example: Shipping a package through the U.S. Postal Service.

+ Independent Agencies Independent Executive Agency: Gov’t agencies that are not a part of cabinet departments Administrators are appointed by the President Examples: NASA National Science Foundation

+ Rest Slide

+ Policy Implementation The stage between between the creation of a policy and the establishment of consequences for violating that policy 3 steps. 1. Creation of a new agency/assignment of a new responsibility 2. Translation of policy goals into operational rules 3. Coordination of resources and employees to reach goal. Walk through the Steps. Colorado and recreation Marijuana

+ Why do programs break? Program design: theory not made into practice Lack of clarity: too broad of a goal Title IX pg. 444 Lack of resources: lacking staff, materials and funding Ex: lacking of funding limits Head Start’s ability to teach all eligible children Administrative routine: routine can help to streamline but leads to “red-tape” issues 9/11 plane hijackings

+ More reasons Administrator’s disposition: use discretion to administer a variety of responses to a single problem Street-level bureaucrats: Welfare workers, lower-court judges. Fragmentation: The ability to handle a problem is distributed to many organizations

+ The Voting Rights of 1965 Outlawed literacy tests and other tests used to discriminate against African American registrants Dispatched registrars to the 6 most notorious southern states to register voters. Protected by U.S. Marshalls African American voting increased from 43% in 1965 to 66% by 1970 Example of successful policy: Clear goal(register voters), clear implementation(registrars) and clear support(Justice Department)