To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions

American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition

Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato

Pearson Education, 2009

Chapter 9

The Executive Branch and the Federal

Bureaucracy

The Roots of Bureaucracy Foreign Affairs, War, Treasury first departments, AND Office

of Attorney General(legal advisor)

Growth in early 1800s with Post Office due to westward

expansion – Major source of jobs

Patronage and the spoils system become common (What is

the key difference?)

Civil War spawns another expansion due to food distribution

problems – Department of Agriculture is created in 1862

Pension Office 1866

Pendleton Act (1883) is beginning of civil service system in response to massive turnover when a new president was elected.Also known as merit system.Initiated by Garfield before assassination

Unfair business practices leads to creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)First independent regulatory commission.Railroad companies charging exorbinant rates

for freightMarks shift from service to regulatory

bureaucracy

Twentieth-Century Bureaucracy

Growing number of cabinet departments. (regulation of

economic sphere)

Dept. of Commerce and Labor to oversee employer/employee

relationships (established under Theodore Roosevelt)

Divided into two separate depts by Wilson

Addressed problems associated with monopolies and poor

working conditions of employees

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protect small business and

public from monopolistic corporations.

16th Amendment to support new federal agencies with funds

Need for a larger government to support wars.Increase in manufacturingTax increases (have never fallen back to pre-war

levels)Veteran’s demands for services led to bigger

government (GI Bill - Educational loans and low mortgage rates through the Veterans’ Housing Authority(VHA)

Led to specifications in new home constructionAffordable middle-class housing was a new concept

New Deal and Great Society (LBJ and FDR)Focus on Pressing Social ProblemsEqual Employment Opportunity CommissionDepartment of Transportation Department of Housing and Urban Development

Modern Bureaucracy

More than 2.7 million employees.

Most are selected based on merit.

Also have high-level appointees.

Wide variety of skills represented.

Less diverse than America.

Scattered throughout D.C. and regional offices.

Growth of outside contractors.

Formal Organization

Cabinet departments handle broad, lasting issues.

Headed by secretaries.

Government corporations act like businesses.

Independent executive agencies handle services.

Narrower than Cabinet department, independent.

Independent regulatory commissions watch industry.

Designed to be free from partisan pressure.

Government Workers and Politics

Hatch Act sets first boundaries.

Federal Employees Political Act is current

standard.

Characteristics of Bureaucracy

Chain of command from top to bottom.

Division of labor.

Clear lines of authority.

Goal orientation.

Merit system.

Productivity.

How the Bureaucracy Works

Congress creates agencies.

Main job is implementation of laws.

Policy made in iron triangles or issue networks.

Increasing use of interagency councils.

Iron Triangles

Dept of Veteran Affairs

House Comm.On Vet’s Affairs

VFW,DAV,AmericanLegion

New G.I. Bill

Issue Networks, PCC’s, and Interagency Councils

Dept of Veteran Affairs

House Comm.On Vet’s Affairs

VFW,DAV,AmericanLegion

Issue NetworksLawyers, academics,consultants

Interagency CouncilsOther DepartmentsAnd Agencies

Making Policy

Administrative discretion allows a lot of latitude.

Rule-making is a quasi-legislative process.

Formal procedure for making regulations.

Administrative adjudication is quasi-judicial

process.

Used to settle disputes between two parties.

Agency Accountability

Unclear who agencies should be accountable to.

Presidents try to make the right appointments.

Can also shape policy through executive orders.

Congress can use oversight powers and funding.

Police patrol v. fire alarm oversight.

Judiciary can review regulations.

What is the Cartoonists point?

Which bureaucracyworks best?

What are theirmain priorities?

AV- Growth of Government

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Figure 9.1- Civilian Employment

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Figure 9.2- Employee Characteristics

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Figure 9.3- Agency Regions

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Figure 9.4- The Executive Branch

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Figure 9.5- An Iron Triangle

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Figure 9.6- Rulemaking

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Table 9.1- FEPA

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Table 9.2- Agency Accountability

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