THE BUREAUCRACY

Chapter 9O’Connor and Sabato

American Government:

Continuity and Change

In this chapter we will cover…• The Roots and Development of the

Federal Bureaucracy

• The Modern Bureaucracy

• Policy Making

• Making Agencies Accountable

THE BUREAUCRACY

There are many definitions of bureaucracy.

The key factors are:– an hierarchical chain of command

– division of labor and specialization

– clear lines of authority

– impersonal rules and merit based decision making

THE BUREAUCRACY

• Definition of BUREAUCRACY

• body of nonelective government officials

• an administrative policy-making group

• government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority

• a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation

Politics of bureaucracy

• Conservatives believe that bureaucracy is too large and too liberal with too much power that is unaccountable. It must be downsized or curtailed…reflects belief that government is too meddlesome in our lives– Stifles economic growth, surfboard example

• Liberals believe that bureaucracy is too slow, too willing to keep status quo (although many conservatives would agree with this). Also believe it doesn’t protect our civil liberties enough– Protects environment

– http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php

The Roots and Development of the Federal Bureaucracy

• In 1789, George Washington headed a federal bureaucracy of three departments: – State, War, and Treasury.

• The government grew as needs arose. In general, the government grew most during national crises and times of war.– The Civil War– National Efforts to Regulate the Economy

The Civil War

• The Civil War (1861-65) permanently changed the nature of the federal bureaucracy.

• Thousands of employees were added in order to mount the war effort.

• After the Civil War, demands on the government continued to grow. The government needed to pay pensions to veterans and the injured from the war.

• Legal issues became pressing so the Justice Department was created.

Regulating the Economy• The industrial revolution of the late 1800s

brought big business onto the national stage.• While some people called for a laissez-faire

attitude toward the economy, many others decried the development of big railroads, price fixing, monopolies, and unfair business practices and called for the government to regulate the economy.

• The “liberty contract” philosophy of Supreme Court

The New Deal and WWII

• FDR faced high unemployment and weak financial markets during the Great Depression.

• In order to face the economic crisis, FDR created large numbers of federal agencies and many federal programs (AAA, NIRA, CCC,WPA).

• WWII (like the Civil War and WWI) also caused the national government to grow.

• Supreme Court begins to rule with admin. and Federal gov.

The Modern Bureaucracy• To whom bureaucrats are responsible: to the president?

To Congress? to the people?• Governments exist for the public good not for profit.• Government leaders are driven by reelection (and thus

accountability) goals while businesspeople are out to increase their share prices on Wall Street. Businesses get money from customers, government gets it from taxpayers.

• The Plum Book publishes7,000 jobs in exec and leg branch according to title, agency, type of appointment and pay level

• http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plumbook/

Modern Bureaucracy Continued• While bur. are frustrating they come about because of

citizen concerns or complaints…or people being stupid. – Coffee cups w/ warning labels that contents are hot, warning

labels on football helmets– A hamburger is subject to 41,000 federal and state regulations some of them coming from court cases, yet many of them protect us from health hazards associated with eating a dead cow.

The Cabinet Departments

• The 15 Cabinet departments are the major administrative units that have responsibility for conducting broad areas of government operation.

• These positions account for 60% of the federal workforce.

• Departments vary in prestige, power, size, and access to the president...each is headed by a secretary (except Justice that is headed by the Attorney General)

Government Corporations

• Government corporations are businesses created by Congress to perform functions that could be performed by private business but aren't usually because they are not profitable.

• These corporations include the Postal Service, Amtrak and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Independent Executive Agencies

• Independent executive agencies have narrower mandates than a Cabinet department.

• Headed by director – appointed by Pres.

• They generally perform a service function, not a regulatory one.

• Some examples include: CIA, NASA and the EPA, FBI

Independent Regulatory Commissions

• IRCs exist to regulate a specific economic activity or interest such as the– National Labor Relations Board

– Securities and Exchange Commission.

– FCC, FAA , FEC-fined Swiftboat

• The commissions are independent from Congress and the President. Once appointed and seated members cannot be removed by Pres.

• They also have staggered terms of office to ensure that no one party gets to appoint all members.

Other Agencies

• http://www.columbusfdn.org/

• Listed in plum book

Policy Making• When Congress passes a law that creates any

kind of federal agency (agency is below cabinet level), department, or commission, it delegates some part of its powers.

• In the law, Congress sets parameters, guidelines, and then leaves it to the agency to work out the details.

• How agencies execute congressional wishes is called implementation.

Making Agencies AccountableIs the bureaucracy accountable and if so to whom?

The president has the authority to:

appoint and remove agency heads

reorganize the bureaucracy

make changes in budget proposals

ignore initiatives from the bureaucracy

issue executive orders

reduce an agency's budget

Congress has the authority to:

pass legislation that alters an agency's functions

abolish existing programs

investigate bureaucratic activities

influence presidential appointments

write legislation to limit bureaucratic discretion

reduce an agency's budget

The judiciary has the power to:

rule on whether the bureaucracy has acted within the law

rule on constitutionality

force respect for the rights of individuals through hearings