The Federal Bureaucracy Chapter 15

Figure 15.2 The Bureaucrats What are some basic American beliefs about our bureaucracy? The bureaucracy is the most demographically representative part of government. – Diversity of jobs mirrors the private sector.

The Bureaucrats How did civil service reform change the bureaucracy? – Office of Personnel Management: The federal office in charge of most of the government’s hiring. What jobs aren’t filled through the Civil Service System? – “Plum jobs”

Theories of Bureaucracy The Weberian Model – Hierarchical, specialized, meritocracy The Acquisitive, Monopolistic Bureaucracy – Competing bureaucracies control govt, expand and spend “Garbage Can” Bureaucracies – Trial and error, not well organized or supervised, ineffective

The Cabinet Departments 15 Cabinet departments headed by a Secretary (except DOJ under the Attorney General) Each has its own budget, staff and policy areas Expanded over time to deal with relevant issues – What is the most recent addition? What is the difference between “Defense” and “Homeland Security”?

Figure 15.4

Executive Agencies Regulatory Agencies – Independent: Responsible for some sector of the economy, making rules and judging disputes to protect the public interest – Headed by commissions – What is meant by “regulatory capture”?

Executive Agencies Government Corporations – Business-like: Provide a service like private companies and typically charge for services Independent Executive Agencies – Serve a specific purpose, created and serve with support of the president

Implementation Translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program Includes: – Creating / assigning an agency the policy – Turning policy into rules, regulations and forms. – Coordinating resources to achieve the goals. Can fail due to program design, lack of clarity, lack of resources, or administrative routine

Implementation: A Case Study The Voting Rights Act of 1965 – Generally considered a success. – Had a clear, concise goal. – The implementation was clear. – Those carrying out the law had obvious authority and vigor to do so.

Regulation Use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. Command-and-Control Policy: Government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks the progress and punishes offenders. Incentive System: Market-like strategies are used to manage public policy. Some agencies are proactive, some are reactive.

Deregulation The lifting of restrictions on business, industry and professional activities. Regulatory problems: – Raises prices – Hurts U.S.’s competitive position abroad – Does not always work well But why were regulations created?

Understanding Bureaucracies Bureaucracy and Democracy – Presidents try to control the bureaucracy through appointments, executive orders, budget tinkering, reorganization – Congress tries to control the bureaucracy by influencing appointments, changing budget, holding hearings, rewriting legislation

Understanding Bureaucracies Bureaucracy and Democracy – Iron Triangles and Issue Networks A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. Some argue they are being replaced by wider issue networks that focus on more policies.

Figure 15.5 Understanding Bureaucracies

How does bureaucracy impact the size and scope of government?