1. The Federal Bureaucracy: Administering the Government
Chapter 13

2. Origin and Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy
Initially small: 3,000 employees in 1800
Federal government’s role confined
Defense
Foreign affairs
Currency
Interstate commerce
Delivery of mail

3. Origin and Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy
Dramatic growth in latter part of 1800s in response to economic growth
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce and Labor
Biggest growth spurt in the 1930s in response to the Great Depression
SEC, SSA, FDIC, TVA

4. 412 fig 13-1

5. Origin and Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy
Types of federal agencies
Cabinet departments
Fifteen departments: State, Defense, Justice, etc.
Independent agencies
Narrower area of responsibility: CIA, NASA, etc.
Regulatory agencies
SEC, EPA, etc.

6. 413 fig 13-2

7. Origin and Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy
Types of federal agencies
Government corporations
USPS, FDIC, Amtrak, etc.
Presidential commissions
Permanent commissions: Civil Rights, Fine Arts
Temporary: Bush’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security

8. Origin and Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy
Federal employment
2,500,000 civilian employees
Most hired by merit criteria
Patronage system—designed to improve link between administration and the people
Abuses—spoils system
Merit system
Neutral competence

9. 415

10. The Budgetary Process
Year and a half long; begins with presidential guidelines
Agencies develop detailed budget; president finalizes with OMB
Congress alters through budget and appropriations committees; full House and Senate vote
President signs or vetoes

11. 419 fig 13-3

12. Policy and Power in the Bureaucracy
Administrative agencies’ chief task: policy implementation
Wide discretion in some areas
Rulemaking
Originating policy ideas

13. Policy and Power in the Bureaucracy
The agency point of view
Comes naturally to high-ranking civil servants
Cemented by professionalism
Distorts government priorities
Agency must seek support wherever it can find it
President; Congress; political parties
Agencies are forced to play politics

14. Policy and Power in the Bureaucracy
Sources of bureaucratic power
Expertise
Clientele groups
Reciprocal relationship
Friends in high places
Agency goals may conflict with president or Congress, but they still need agency expertise and competency.

15. Educational Backgrounds of Bureaucrats
425

16. Democracy and Bureaucratic Accountability
Accountability through the presidency
Reorganization
Presidential appointments
OMB: budgets, regulations, and legislative proposals

17. Democracy and Bureaucratic Accountability
Accountability through Congress
The “power of the purse”
Oversight function; increased use of GAO
Ways to constrain the bureaucracy before it acts
Drafting laws with specific instructions for implementation
Sunset provisions

18. Democracy and Bureaucratic Accountability
Accountability through the courts
An injured party can bring suit against an agency
Accountability within the bureaucracy itself
Senior Executive Service (SES)
Administrative law judges
Whistleblowing
Demographic representativeness

19. 437 table 13-1