The American Bureaucracy

What is the Bureaucracy? A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials in which authority is divided among several managers Complex because authority is divided among several managers, no one person can make all decisions. Term comes from French word “bureau” meaning a government worker’s desk and “cracy” meaning a form of government Approximately 4 million government workers in federal bureaucracy, about 1/3 of whom work in armed forces or defense agencies

What justifies a Bureaucracy? Constitutional basis found in Article II of the Constitution in reference to the creation of executive departments Bureaucracies developed as a result of custom, traditions, and precedents

Distinctiveness of the American Bureaucracy While size and complexity can cause problems for bureaucracies, the political context in which these organizations act may be what creates problems Distinctiveness of the American Bureaucracy 1. Political authority over the bureaucracy is shared by president and Congress 2. Federal agencies share functions with related state and local government agencies 3. Adversary culture leads to closer scrutiny and makes court challenges more likely

Distinctiveness of the American Bureaucracy Scope of bureaucracy 1. Little public ownership of industry in the U.S. 2. High degree of regulation of private industries in the U.S. Side note: Americans dislike “the bureaucracy” in general, but studies show they like the appointed officials with whom they deal with.

Primary Functions of a Bureaucracy 1. Recognizable division of labor where skilled workers each have a specialized function so that productivity is increased 2. Allocation of function where each task is assigned and defined 3. Allocation of responsibility where each task is understood by the worker and cannot be changed without approval of the supervisor 4. Direct and indirect supervision including time authority and staff authority 5. Control of the full time employment of the worker so workers can be held on task 6. Workers make their careers synonymous with the organization because the bureaucracy provides for benefits

The Growth of the Bureaucracy A. Constitution made little provision for administrative system, so provide little guidance 1. One early controversy ended when the Supreme Court gave the president sole removal power (without congressional assent) 2. Congress still funds and investigates agencies, and shapes the laws they administer So who really controls the bureaucracy???

The Growth of the Bureaucracy B. The Appointment of Officials 1. Officials affect how laws are interpreted, tone and effectiveness of administration, party strength 2. Patronage in nineteenth and early twentieth centuries rewarded supporters, induced congressional support, built party organizations *later brought calls for reform 3. Civil War a watershed in bureaucratic growth; it showed the administrative weakness of federal government and increased demands for civil service reform 4. Post-Civil War period saw industrialization, emergence of a national economy – power of national government to regulate interstate commerce became necessary and controversial

The Growth of the Bureaucracy C. A Service Role : new agencies primarily performed service roles (200,000 new federal employees added) a. Constraints of limited government, states’ rights, and fragmented power b. Laissez-faire philosophy c. Supreme Court held that, under the Constitution, executive agencies could only apply statues passed by Congress **Constitution gave Congress power to regulate commerce 2. Wars led to reduced restrictions on administrators and an enduring increase in executive branch personnel

Organization of the Bureaucracy Federal government organized be departments (called that to distinguish them from the cabinet) Agencies/administrations = government bodies headed by a single administrator, have similar status to the cabinet Commissions = agencies that regulate certain aspects of the private sector Corporations = agencies headed by a board of directors, chairman

A Change in Role… 1. Depression and World War II led to government activism 2. Supreme Court upheld laws that granted discretion to administrative agencies 3. Heavy use of income taxes supported war effort and a large bureaucracy 4. Public believes in continuing military preparedness and various social programs 5. 9/11 attacks could also affect bureaucracy as profoundly as WWII and the Depression a. New cabinet agency (Department of Homeland Security) was created b. Consolidation of intelligence-gathering activities under National Intelligence Director

Factors that Influence Bureaucratic Conduct Recruitment and reward Federal bureaucrats serve 1 year trial period before being granted tenure Once tenured, extremely difficult to fire (termination process usually lasts 2 year) Personal attributes Tend to be highly educated, middle-aged white males But behavior tends to be ____ because of rules/procedures Generally are more liberal than average American.

Factors that Influence Bureaucratic Conduct Nature of the job Most agencies have a sense of mission External forces