Large, complex organization of appointed, not elected, officials

• “bureau” – French for small desks, referring to the king’s traveling business men who set up small desks in town squares

• Bureaucracy = “government of small desks”

The Federal Bureaucracy

The Federal BureaucracyMax Weber• Famous early 20th century German economist• Bureaucracy – well organized, complex

machine that is a rational way for society to organize its business.

• Hierarchical authority structure – chain of command• Task specialization – individuals have unique jobs, division of

labor• Extensive rules – clear policies for the organization to follow• Clear goals – clearly defined mission• Merit principle – hiring and promotion based on

qualities, no jobs for favors• Impersonality – performance judged on productivity

The Spoils System• Federal bureaucracy was originally drawn from

an elite group of upper-class white males

• Proclaiming “to the victor belongs the spoils,” Andrew Jackson awarded federal posts to party loyalists---patronage

The Civil Service• The Pendleton Act (1883)

created the federal civil service • Civil Service system -- workers are selected

according to merit, not party loyalty

• The 0ffice of Personnel Management (OPM)• Administers civil service laws and regulations• Is in charge of hiring for most federal agencies

Effects of Civil Service Reform• Govt. employees are much more competent• Creating nonpartisan civil service means insulating workers

from risk of being fired when new party comes into power; this means it’s pretty hard to fire anyone

• Hatch Act (1939 and 1993): employees are prohibited from active participation in partisan politics

• The Growth of The Federal Bureaucracy

• Science and technology• (NASA) is an example

• Business regulation• think -- The Jungle

• Social welfare• Civil War (veteran pensions)• Great Depression

• income security and social services to Americans in need

• Ambitious administrators• top agency officials look for new ways to serve

clients, which in turn leads to new programs, larger staffs, and larger budgets

Constraints• Typical govt. bureau can’t hire, fire, build, or sell w/o

going through statutory procedures• Administrative Procedures Act (1946): agency must

give notice, solicit feedback, hold hearing before adopting new rule/policy

• Freedom of Information Act (1966): agency must allow all citizens to inspect their records

• National Environmental Policy Act (1969): agencies must issue environ. impact statements

• Privacy Act (1974): keeps citizens’ records confidential

• Open Meeting Law (1976): all parts of all meetings must be open to public

The federal bureaucracy includes all of the agencies, people, and procedures through which the federal government operates• There are approximately 2.7

million civilian and 1.4 million military federal employees

• Half of all the civilian federal employees work for the department of defense and an additional 28 percent work for the postal service

Cabinet Departments• There are 15 cabinet departments

• Exception of Justice (headed by the Attorney General), each department is headed by a secretary

• All 15 heads are chosen by the president and approved by the Senate

• Treasury Department has authority over the printing of currency

• Cabinet secretaries often develop a strong loyalty to their departments• Cabinet members are often not close presidential

advisors

Independent Regulatory Agencies• Created to protect the public by regulating key

sectors of the economy• Best known independent regulatory agencies

• Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)• Federal Reserve Board (FRB)

• Independent regulatory agencies are led by small commissions appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate• Note commissioners cannot be removed by the

Senate during their terms of office

The Federal Reserve Board• Federal Reserve Board’s Primary responsibility is to set

monetary policy• Monetary policy includes setting bank interest

rates, controlling inflation, regulating the money supply, and adjusting bank reserve requirements

• Federal Reserve Board has great independence• This freedom removes monetary policy from

politics• As a result, the Federal Reserve Board is usually

able to use its economic expertise to develop monetary policies without undue interference from political parties and interest groups

The Government Corporations• Government corporations provide a service that

could be provided by the private sector• Best Known --

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting- created during the Johnson administration

• Tennessee Valley Authority- FDR• Amtrak• U.S. Postal Service

Independent Executive Agencies• Independent Executive Agencies include most of

the non-cabinet departments• National Aeronautics

and Space Administration (NASA)• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Implementation• Implementation is translation of policy goals into rules

and standard operating procedures• Break down

• conflicting goals• faulty program design• lack financial resources• fragmentation of responsibilities

• 46 agencies for counterterrorism under the Office of Homeland Security (2001)

• Congress provides federal agencies with general mandates• Discretion to set specific guidelines for a given

problem or situation

Regulation• Regulation is the use of governmental authority to

control or change practices in the private sector• Supreme Court first upheld the right of government

to regulate businesses in Munn v. Illinois (1877)• Reagan / Bush federal government deregulated or

lifted a number of restrictions on business• Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB)

Regulation v. Deregulation• Conservatives say: regulation has become too

burdensome, inhibits business, personal freedom• Regulation raises prices!• Regulation hurts our competitiveness overseas!• Regulation doesn’t always work; gov’t can be

dumb!• Liberals say: regulation is vital to prevent abuse,

corruption, public fraud• There is often environmental damage due to

deregulation

Appointments• Presidents have power to appoint senior agency

heads and subheads• Enables president to exercise influence over an

agency• President’s power limited

• Senate has power to approve president’s appointments

• Agency heads often develop a strong loyalty to their departments / do not aggressively purse a president’s policy agenda

Executive Orders• Directive, order, or regulation issued by president

Economic Powers• President may use Office of Management and

Budget to cut or add to an agency’s budget

Divided Authority• Divided supervision in which both president /

Congress exercise authority over the federal bureaucracy

Oversight• Congress responsibility to exercise legislative

oversight over the federal bureaucracy• Oversight methods:

• Budgetary control • Holding hearings and conducting investigations• Reorganizing an agency• Setting new guidelines for an agency

Iron Triangles• Alliance among an administrative agency, an

interest group, and a congressional committee to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests• Each member provides key services,

information, or policy for the others• Powerful enough to be called sub-governments

• Issue Networks

• Coalition of interest groups and people who join together to advocate for a specific problem and for changing a government policy that pertains to that problem

• Alliances created through an issue network make it possible for people to join together on their issue to create change in government policies that pertain to that issue

Issue Networks• Members of issue networks usually are political

executives, government officials, public servants, scholarly analysts, reporters, members of foundations and White House staff members

• Need for different professions is essential for an issue network to function, because many types of expertise are needed to change existing policy