1. Bureaucracies and Regulatory Agencies
Shaping Public Policy
Bureaucracies and Regulatory Agencies

2. Bureaucracies
Main function is to organize and operate the federal government
Bureaucracies must respond to:
The Constitution
Federal laws
The Three Branches
Public interest groups

3. Types of Bureaucracies
The Cabinet
Manage specific policy areas: defense, labor, state, etc.
Regulatory Agencies
Legislative power: issuing regulations
Judicial power: enforcing penalties for violations
Known as “alphabet agencies”

4. Types of Regulatory Agencies
Interstate Commerce Commission
Federal Trade Commission
Food and Drug Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Consumer Product Safety Commission

5. Relations with Other Branches
President can:
Appoint heads of agencies
Issue executive orders
Reorganize federal departments
Congress can:
Control the budget for regulatory agencies
Exercise oversight through reviews and hearings (usually through the committee process)

6. The “Iron Triangle”
Describes the interrelationship among bureaucracies, the government (congressional committees), and interest groups

7. Bureaucracies & Public Policy
Cable television – Federal Communications Commission
Food labeling – Federal Trade Commission
Pollution control – Environmental Protection Agency
Airline safety – National Transportation Safety Board
The public, interest groups, and the media can all impact the regulatory and policy making process