The Federal Bureaucracy

What is a bureaucracy?

Organization by which things get done in government

Bureaucracies: Have a hierarchical authority structure Use task specialization Develop extensive rules Operate on the merit of the people Behave with impersonality

Myths and Realities

Americans hate B. (Myth) They grow bigger each year (Half ‘n

Half) Most work in D.C. (Myth) Ineffective, inefficient, and mired in

red tape (Half ‘n Half)

Who They Are and How They Got There

Patronage Hiring and promotion based upon

knowing the right people “It’s not what you know, it’s who you

know”-Hayman’s mom

Pendleton Civil Service Act Created the federal civil service

System based on merit and desire to create a non-partisan gov’t service

More…

Merit Principal Uses entrance exams and promotional

ratings to reward qualified applicants Hatch Act

Prohibits civil service employees from active participation in partisan politics while on duty

OPM

Office of Personnel Management In charge of hiring for most federal

agencies Each civil service job is assigned a

GS (General Schedule) rating Very top of the c.s. is the Senior

Executive Service

Plum Book

Lists top federal jobs available for direct presidential appointment

Organization of B. Cabinet Departments (Manage specific

policy areas) Independent Regulatory Commissions(Federal Reserve Board, Federal

Communications Commission, Social Security Admin.) Each I.R.C. is responsible for some sector

of the economy Interest groups are closely involved with

I.R.C.s

More Organization

Government Corporations(Amtrak, Post Office, T.V.A.)

Provide a service that could be provided by the private sector

Charge for a service

Still More Organization

Independent Executive Agencies(NASA, General Service Admin.,

National Science Foundation) Make up the rest

B.’s as Implementers

Policy implementation Stage of policymaking between

establishment of policy and its consequences

Some policies fail. Why?

Program Design Some tasks are impossible

Lack of Clarity Congress states broad goals while

leaving the specifics up to the B.’s Lack of Resources

Lack of body armor in Iraq EPA has low staff and cannot enforce

laws

Making it Fair

SOP’s help make b.’s everyday decisions

May become “red tape” and obstacles to action

Privatization

Private contractors used to do the work of the gov’t

Fourth Branch of the Gov’t Leads to less scrutiny

Regulation

Use of gov’t authority to control or change some practice in the private sector FDA, CPSC, OSHA

Gov’t tells businesses how to reach certain goals, checks on progress, and punishes offenders

Trend Towards Deregulation

Regulation: Raises prices Hurts America’s competitive position

abroad Doesn’t always work well

Understanding B.’s

Presidents try to control B.’s Appoint heads of agencies Issue executive orders Alter agency’s budget Reorganize the agency

More understanding

Congress tries to control B.’s Influence appointments Alter budgets Hold hearings Rewrite legislation for more detail and

clarity

The Iron Triangle

Iron Triangles and Issue Networks Iron Triangles: a mutually dependent

relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees

Exist independently of each other They are tough, but not impossible, to get

rid of Some argue they are being replaced by

wider issue networks that focus on more than one policy.

Figure 15.5

Understanding Bureaucracies

Summary

Bureaucrats shape policy as administrators, implementers, and regulators.

Bureaucracy’s primary responsibility is the implementation of public policy.

Federal bureaucracy has not grown but has in fact shrunk of late.