BUREAUCRACYPages 313-340

Spoils to Merit System

• James Garfield’s assassination led to the passage of the Civil Reform Act in 1883 or Pendleton Act– Pendleton Act: Reform measure

that established the principle of federal employment basis of open, competitive exams and created a bipartisan three-member Civil Service Commission

Spoils to Merit System• Merit System: system by which federal civil

service jobs are classified into grades or levels, to which appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examination

• What would be the importance of a merit system? Or Benefit of a merit system?

Political Activities Act of 1939

• Commonly known as the Hatch Act (in honor of its main sponsor, Senator Carl Hatch)– Law enacted in 1939 to prohibit

civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns• Prohibited federal employees from

making political contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate

WHAT PROBLEM DOES THE HATCH ACT CREATE FOR CIVIL SERVICE WORKERS?

Federal Employees Political Activities Act

Federal Employees Political Activities Act

• Still prohibits civil service workers from engaging in political activity while on duty, soliciting contributions from the general public, or running for office in partisan elections

• WHO WOULD BE EFFECTED?

Who are the Bureaucrats?• 90% compose the civilian employees that

work in thousands of official jobs ranging from U.S.P.S. to park rangers

• Federal civilian workforce is spread among departments, agencies, commissions, and government corporations

Who are the Bureaucrats?• Remaining 10% of the federal workforce are

not covered by the civil service system• They fall into three categories:– 1. Appointive policy-making positions: presidential

appointees. These appointees then appoint thousands of high-level policy-making assistants who form the top of the bureaucratic hierarchy

Who are the Bureaucrats?

• They fall into three categories (Continued):− 2. Independent Regulatory Commissioners: each president

gets to appoint commissioners, they are independent from the presidents authority when they take office

− 3. Low-level, non policy patronage positions: these positions are typically secretarial assistants to policy makers

Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program

• Began 1977• Purpose: hire and train future managers and

executive to make up for the lack of experienced managers

How to Fire a Bureaucrat?• Through a lot of steps• Page 323 of your book

Where do you go to get your questions answered, problems

solved or paperwork filed?

Decentralized

• United States is broken up into several regions• Bigger agencies have regional offices in one

city within that region• Decentralization of bureaucracy allows for

accessibility

Formal Organizations

• Cabinet Departments: – 15 Cabinet Departments• Departments: major administrative units with

responsibility for a broad area of government operations

– Heads of all of the departments compose the President’s cabinet

– Heads of the departments are called secretaries

Formal Organizations

• Cabinet Departments: – Secretaries are responsible for establishing their

department’s general policy and overseeing its operations

– Cabinet secretaries are responsible directly to the President

– Cabinet secretaries are also tied to Congress • Congress give departments their appropriations and

discretion to implement legislation

Formal Organizations• Cabinet Departments: – Most departments are subdivided into bureaus • Divided along functional lines, geographically, work process, or

clientele

– Department status signifies strong permanent interest for a particular function

– Some departments are organized for clienteles• Clienteles: specific social or economic group • Examples- Departments of Agriculture, Education, Labor,

Veterans Affairs, or the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Cabinet Video

Formal Organizations• Government Corporations: – Government Corporations:

businesses established by Congress that perform functions that could be provided by private businesses (Ex- U.S. Postal Service)

– Corporations are formed when the government chooses to engage in activities that primarily are commercial in nature, produce revenue, and require greater flexibility than Congress gives regular departments

Formal Organizations• Government Corporations: – Government Corporations charge for services – TVA: Tennessee Valley Authority provides

electricity at a reduced rate to millions of Americans in an low income area that private utility companies did not want to go to provide services

– EXAMPLES: TVA, U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak, FDIC

Formal Organizations• Independent Executive Agencies– Independent executive agencies:

governmental units that closely resemble a Cabinet department but have a narrower area of responsibility and are not part of any Cabinet department

– They perform tasks or services rather than regulate functions

– The heads of these agencies are appointed by the President

Formal Organizations• Independent Executive Agencies: – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • Created in 1970• Purpose to administer federal programs

aimed at controlling pollution and protecting the nation’s environment• Advises the president on environmental

concerns

– Other Example: NASA

Formal Organizations• Independent Regulatory Commissions:– Independent Regulatory Commissions: agencies

created by Congress to exist outside the major departments to regulate a specific economic activity or interest• Examples: National Labor Relations Board, Federal

Reserve Board, Federal Communication Commissions and the Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC)

Formal Organizations• Independent Regulatory Commissions: – Older boards and commissions are to be free from

partisan political pressure• Headed by a board composed of 5-7 members • Selected by the president and confirmed by the Senate for

fixed, staggered terms • Cannot be easily removed

– Newer Boards are concerned with business sector and how it relates to the public and often are not free of political influence since they are easily removable by the President