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Published byMercy Murphy Modified over 8 years ago
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Large, complex organization comprised of appointed officials Barely mentioned in the Constitution, yet over 17 million people work directly or indirectly for the government. 2 -2.5 million civilians work for the federal government Number of federal employees has remained relatively stable since WWII Number of state and local employees has grown tremendously
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Max Weber Rational and organized way to organize society Power of bureaucrats stems from discretionary authority. Identified six characteristics of a bureaucracy
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Hierarchical authority structure Task specialization division of labor Extensive rules well-established formal rules Clear goals unifies organization Merit principle hiring and promotion based on merit not patronage Impersonality job performance is judged by productivity
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Divided supervision Congress can create, fund and abolish federal agencies, but executive branch in charge of implementing programs Close public scrutiny Emphasis on individual rights and preservation of rights against government abuse Regulation rather than public ownership compared to many Western European nations
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Cabinet Departments Independent Regulatory Agencies (ICC, FTC, NLRB, FRB, SEC) Government Corporations (TVA, Amtrak, CPB, Postal Service) Independent Executive Agencies (GSA, NSF, NASA)
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Created 1789 when Congress created State Department 1789-1829 white, upper-class, elite 1829 Jackson’s spoils system 1877 Munn v. Illinois (business regulation) 1881 Pendelton Act Office of Personnel Management The Merit Systems Protection Board
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Initial goal of service until early 20 th century; then added regulation in 1930s and WWII Hatch Act 1939 limited civil servants’ roles in politics Hatch Act requirements relaxed in 1993; civil servants can be active in party politics, but still may not run for office
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Popular to reduce the size of bureaucracy through devolution (1996 Welfare Reform Act) or privatization (weapons systems) 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act Director of National Intelligence (15 agencies) National Counterterrorism Center
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Implementation (source of policymaking power) providing services Regulation Grant of power from Congress Agencies outline guidelines Application and enforcement of guidelines
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Key question: Is the bureaucracy out of control or under control of the branches of government? The Power of Expertise source of info for other branches The Power of Clientele Groups put pressure on Congress and the president to support agencies from which they benefit The Power of Friends in High Places symbiotic relationship between president, Congress and bureaucracy
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Iron triangles-a small and informal, but relatively stable group of congressional subcommittee members, bureaucrats and interest groups who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest Also known as subgovernments; relationships so strong real decision-making takes place at this level Lobbyists provide information to executive agency and congressional subcommittees and support election bids. The subcommittee members pass favorable legislation and approve higher budgets for that agency; the agency then give subcommittees information, and develop rules and implementation strategies favorable to the lobbyists.
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Issue networks-an informal and temporary network of people in interest groups, congressional staffs, academia and the mass media who regularly debate an issue. Replacing iron triangles as an explanation of policy-making process. Contain groups on multiple sides of the issue, so not a mutually beneficial relationship.
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Duplication (drug policy Customs, FBI, DEA, Defense) Authorization and Appropriation Power of the purse Hearings (oversight) Rewriting legislation
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Appointments Executive Orders Economic Powers (through OMB) Reorganization
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Courts can determine if an agency is implementing a law correctly if a party brings suit Supreme Court usually supports administrators Massachusetts v. EPA (2008) court ruled that EPA was responsible for issuing emissions standards under Clean Air Act and that it couldn’t indefinitely delay regulating
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Whistle-Blowing-the act of reporting instances of official mismanagement Whistle Blower Protection Act Richard Clarke 2004, Bush Administration Demographic representativeness more so than Congress, but not very representative at the managerial and professional level
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“red tape” endless regulations Conflict agencies working at cross purposes Duplication two different agencies doing the same thing Unchecked growth agency has no incentive to limit its own growth Waste limited incentive to same money Lack of accountability difficulty in firing bureaucrats
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1993 National Performance Review Gore reduce red tape, put customers first, empower administrators, cut government back to basic services 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act
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Limit appointments to 6-12 years (retest or rehire) Make it easier to fire a bureaucrat Rotate professionals between agencies and from outside Reward employee initiatives and fewer rules Emphasize customer satisfaction
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