THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
• Bureaucracy: a large, complex
organization composed of
appointed officials.
• Ex. Large corporations (Microsoft)
• Ex. Universities
• Ex. Government Agency
Weber’s theoretical view:
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Hierarchical authority structure
Task specialization
Extensive rules
Merit principle
Standard operating procedures
Constitutional Basis:
•Found in Article II of the Constitution in the
reference to the creation of executive departments.
•The Constitution permits both the president and
Congress to exercise authority over the bureaucracy.
•Every senior appointed official has at least 2
masters: one in the executive branch and the other in
the legislative.
History of:
• 1789 James Madison – bill to create a Dept.
of State to assist the new secretary of state,
Thomas Jefferson.
• Started with only 9 employees
• From 1816 to 1861 increased eightfold.
- 86% of growth was Post Office
• Civil War was watershed in bureaucratic
development.
- fighting led to hiring many new officials
and creating many new offices.
- revealed administrative weakness of fed.
gov’t – led to movement of reform for
improvement in quality and organization of
fed employees
- war was followed by period of rapid
industrialization and the emergence of a
national economy.
• 1861 – 1903 new agencies were created to
deal with sectors of economy.
- Dept. of Agriculture (1862)
- Dept. of Labor (1882)
- ICC (1887) – Federal gov’t begins to
regulate economy
- Dept. of Commerce (1903)
• Before ICC, agencies primary role was to
serve, not to regulate.
• 1st attempt at reform was 1871, Congress passed the Civil
Service Commission. (failed due to inadequate funding)
• Congress passed the Pendleton Act (Civil Service Act of
1883) after President Garfield was shot by a disgruntled
office seeker.
- set up merit as the criteria for hiring, promoting, and firing
federal employees.
• Hatch Act (1939) placed legal limitations on federal
employees.
- cannot run for office; actively campaign for a candidate;
may not collect funds, organize rallies, or circulate
nominating petitions.
- may not join formal unions, but are able to form gov’t
unions. Ex. Air Traffic Controllers
• Civil Service Reform Act (1978/Carter)
- created Office of Personnel Management
and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
- replaced the Civil Service Commission
Today’s Bureaucracy
• Product of two events: the Depression and
New Deal programs, and WWII
- features of bureaucracy set as a result of
changes in public attitudes and in
constitutional interpretation that occurred
during these periods.
- Gov’t now expected to play an active role in
dealing with economic and social problems.
- WWII was 1st time gov’t made heavy use of
fed. income tax to finance its activities
• btw 1940 and 1945 tax collections increased
from $5 bill. to $44 bill.
- 1st great financial boom for the gov’t.
- After war, country believed in large military
and that social programs begun before the
war should enjoy the heavy funding made
possible by wartime taxes.
- Permitted the sustained expansion of
programs and entrenched a large # of
administrators in Washington.
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The Alphabet Agencies:
FTC (1914)
FDA (1931)
FCC (1934)
SEC (1934)
EPA (1970)
FEC (1975)
are quasi legislative – act legislative when
issuing regulations
• are quasi judicial – act judicial when
enforcing penalties for violations of their
regulations
Relations with other government branches
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Although independent, bureaucracies are linked to
president by appointment and direction and to Congress
through oversight.
Power depends on extent to which appointed officials
have discretionary authority – the ability to chose
courses of action and make policies that are not spelled
out in advance by laws.
Power has grown enormously – Congress has delegated
authority to agencies in 3 areas:
Paying subsidies to particular groups and organizations
in society (farmers, veterans, scientists, schools,
universities, hospitals)
2. Transferring $ from the federal government
to state and local governments (grant-inaid programs)
3. Devising and enforcing regulations for
various sectors of society and the
economy.
• Best example of the interrelationship
among bureaucracies and the gov’t, is the
iron triangle concept.
Congressional oversight:
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Congressional supervision takes several forms:
No agency may exist, except for a few presidential
offices, without congressional approval.
No $ may be spent unless it has first been authorized by
Congress. May be permanent, fixed for a number of
years, or annual.
Authorized funds cannot be spent unless they are also
appropriated.
Power of Appropriations Committees