BureaucracyWhat is a Bureaucracy?

Homework

Read Chapter 15 section 1, pp. 414-418

Questions to Think About

•What is a bureaucracy?•What are the major elements of the

federal bureaucracy?• How are groups within the federal

bureaucracy named?•What is the difference between a staff

agency and a line agency?

ElementsMajor Elements of the Federal Bureaucracy:

a. The federal bureaucracy is all of the agencies, people, and procedures through which the Federal government operates. It is the means by which the government makes and administers public policy.

b. The Framer’s intended for administrative agencies to be created. Without an administration – the government’s many administrators and agencies – even the best policies would

amount to just so many words.

Three features of Bureaucracies• Hierarchical authority. Bureaucracies are based on a

pyramid structure with a chain of command running from top to bottom.• Job specialization. Each bureaucrat, or person who works

for the organization, has certain defined duties and responsibilities.• Formalized rules. The bureaucracy does its work

according to a set of established regulations and procedures.

Red Tape

• The term “red tape” comes from red ribbon used by British bureaucrats to hold their paperwork together.

BureaucracyWhat is a Bureaucracy?

Structure of a Bureaucracy

• Hierarchical authority

• Job Specialization

• Formalized Rules

Three features of Bureaucracies• Hierarchical authority. Bureaucracies are based on a

pyramid structure with a chain of command running from top to bottom.

• Job specialization. Each bureaucrat, or person who works for the organization, has certain defined duties and responsibilities.

• Formalized rules. The bureaucracy does its work according to a set of established regulations and procedures.

Hierarchy example

• A hierarchy simply lets you know who works for whom: who is the boss, and where you fit on the chain of command. This hierarchy is a simplified diagram of how a business chain of command works.

Job Specialization• Simply means that every job is classified with specific knowledge

skills and abilities and filled by someone who knows how to do that job.

Formalized Rules

• Rules have to be made clearly and concisely in order to make sense. Structures exist to ensure that rules are respected, enforced and understood.

Informal Rule example: holding the door for other people. In addition to men holding the door for women, it is expected that all people hold the door when the time is appropriate, including for an elderly person or someone who is carrying groceries or shopping bags.

Formal Rule Examples: Major League Baseball Rules; Major League Football Rules.

What might be some benefits of a bureaucracy?

Benefits

•1. Faster because people know their one specific job

•2. Power lines are clear (easy for decision making)

•3. Rules make it easier to replace a worker when one leaves

The Federal Bureaucracy

• The President is the chief administrator of the Federal Government.• In order to enact and enforce policy, Congress

and the President have created an administration—the government’s many administrators and agencies.• The chief organizational feature of the

federal bureaucracy is its division into areas of specialization

Yesterday, I asked “Where does the Power to set up agencies and departments come from?”

Presidential (Executive) Power comes from: • Article 2 of the Constitution:• Clause 1:• The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of

the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

What is clear about this statement?

What is unclear?

The Executive Office of the PresidentThe Executive Office of the President

a. Every officer, employee, and agency in the executive branch of the Federal

Government is legally subordinate to the President. They all exist to help the

President in the exercise of the executive power. The Executive Office of the President (several agencies staffed by the President’s Advisors) is the President’s right arm.

Ideally:

Free of political accountability (non-partisan)– Still affected by Congressional budget and oversight• Ideal scenario: members apply specific rules of action to each case in a rational, nondiscretionary, predictable, and impersonal way

GrowthGrowth of the Federal Bureaucracy• 1789 – 50 federal government employees• 2000 – 2.8 million (excluding military, subcontractors, and consultants who also work for federal government)• Growth mainly at state and local level since 1970– Federal government began devolving powers and services to state and local government• Total federal, state, local employees – roughly 21 million people

Three features of Bureaucracies• Hierarchical authority. Bureaucracies are based on a

pyramid structure with a chain of command running from top to bottom.• Job specialization. Each bureaucrat, or person who works

for the organization, has certain defined duties and responsibilities.• Formalized rules. The bureaucracy does its work

according to a set of established regulations and procedures.

Let’s use the handout!

US Embassy Paris

The Legislative Branch has fewest

• The Executive Branch has the most.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/index.shtml

•Department•Administration or Agency•Commission•Corporation or Authority

The Federal BureaucracyThe Name Game

• Department• The term "department" is reserved for

agencies of cabinet rank

• Examples: Department of State, Department of the Interior

The Federal Bureaucracy The Name Game

• Administration or Agency• The terms "administration" or "agency" are

used to refer to any governmental body or, more particularly, to a major unit headed by a single administrator of near-cabinet rank• The terms agency and administration are used

interchangeably• Examples: NASA; NARA

The Federal Bureaucracy The Name Game

• Commission• The term "commission" is reserved for agencies

charged with the regulation of business activities• Commissions are headed by varying numbers of

top-ranking officers, or commissioners

• Example: Interstate Commerce Commission

The Federal BureaucracyThe Name Game

•Corporation or Authority•The terms "corporation" and

"authority" are used for agencies that have a board and a manager and that is designed to conduct business-like activities•Example: National Railroad Passenger

Corporation (AMTRAK)

The Federal BureaucracyThe Name Game

•While the above terms have precise definitions, they are not used consistently!• There is little uniformity in the use of

terms describing units within the executive branch and the lines are now blurred

The Federal BureaucracyThe Name Game

Types of AgenciesSTAFF

• Staff Agencies• Staff agencies serve in a

support capacity. • They aid the chief

executive and other administrators by offering advice and other assistance in the management of the organization.

• Line agencies perform tasks for which the organization exists.• Congress and the

President give the line agencies goals to accomplish, and staff agencies help the line agencies accomplish them.

LINE

The Federal Bureaucracy

• The administration consists of the officials and agencies of the executive branch that carry out public policies• These administrators impact public policy in the

following ways: Through delaying the implementation of policy dictated

either by the legislative or executive branches By writing rules and regulations; By enforcing such rules, regulations and laws Adjudicating conflicting interests

Major Elements of the Federal Bureaucracy

Questions to Think About

•What is a bureaucracy?•What are the major elements of the

federal bureaucracy?• How are groups within the federal

bureaucracy named?•What is the difference between a staff

agency and a line agency?

Vocabulary

• 1. Bureaucracy: a large complex structure that handles the everyday business of an administration• 2. Administration: the government’s many offices and

administrators• 3. Bureaucrat: a person who works in a bureaucracy• 4. Staff Agency: they aid the President by giving advice

and help• 5. Line Agency: actually perform the task for the

organization

• http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/index.shtml

Review• 1. All of the following are characteristics of bureaucracies

EXCEPT• (a) hierarchical authority.• (b) formalized rules.• (c) lack of formal organization.• (d) job specialization.

• 2. Staff agencies are created to • (a) act as congressional watchdogs on executive agencies.• (b) aid other agencies in completing their goals.• (c) serve as a check on the Supreme Court.• (d) fulfill a specific task or function.