WTP9LectureCh14

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Chapter 14
Bureaucracy in
a Democracy
Bureaucracy in a Democracy
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• Bureaucracy: complex structure of departments,
tasks, rules, and principles of an organization used
by large public and private institutions to coordinate
work.
– Includes: structure, procedures, workers, services, and
other deliverables associated with implementing policies.
• Example: colleges and universities
The Size of the Federal Service
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• The size of the federal service
– Federal bureaucracy shrunk over last 35 years
– 1968: 3m civilians, 3.6m military
– 2008: 2.7m civilians, 1.4m military
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
The Size of the Federal Service
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• Despite population growth, spending as a
percentage of GDP has remained remarkably
constant.
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• Implementation: department and agency efforts to
translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and
actions
• Making rules
– The rule-making process is highly political.
– Agencies must submit rules to the public in advance to
obtain feedback during a comments period.
• During this period, opponents can wage PR wars to
have the proposal withdrawn.
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
Who Are “Bureaucrats”?
CHAPTER 14
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
Executive Branch Employees, 2010
(in thousands)
Key
> 0.6%
0.6 – 5.5%
5.6 – 10.5%
Education
0.14%
4
70
Justice
4%
118
15.5% +
EPA
0.68%
19
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau
2012 Statistical Abstract;
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Soc. Sec.
Admin.
2.5%
70
10.6 – 15.5%
* Independent agencies include
NASA, the EPA, and the Social
Security Administration (shown
here), as well as other agencies.
Health &
Human
Services
3.25%
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
Executive Branch Employees, 2010
(in thousands)
Key
> 0.6%
Treasury
4%
0.6 – 5.5%
5.6 – 10.5%
10.6 – 15.5%
15.5% +
Commerce
2.10%
NASA
0.7%
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau
2012 Statistical Abstract;
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Agriculture
3.9%
19
13
State
1.4%
107
57
General
Services
Admin
0.47%
* Independent agencies include
NASA, the EPA, and the Social
Security Administration (shown
here), as well as other agencies.
110
Housing &
Urban Dev.
0.36%
10
39
Labor
0.65%
Energy
0.58%
18
16
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
Executive Branch Employees, 2010
(in thousands)
Key
> 0.6%
Defense
28%
0.6 – 5.5%
773
5.6 – 10.5%
10.6 – 15.5%
15.5% +
Veterans
Affairs
11%
Independent
Agencies
9.5%
305
180
Homeland
Security
6.6%
183
* Independent agencies include
NASA, the EPA, and the Social
Security Administration (shown
here), as well as other agencies.
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau
2012 Statistical Abstract;
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Interior
2.5%
70
Transportation
2.1%
58
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
Location, 2008
(number of federal employees in thousands)
Washington, D.C. Area
17%
320
83% – Other
* Independent agencies include
NASA, the EPA, and the Social
Security Administration (shown
here), as well as other agencies.
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau
2012 Statistical Abstract;
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1,589
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• Enforcing laws
– Agency powers can include:
• Demanding reports
• Auditing books
• Monitoring contracts
• Tracking company obligations
• Regulating citizens’ actions
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• The civil service
– Spoils system: prior to the 1880s, most federal jobs were
given to political supporters of various officials until the
next election.
• Virtually no central bureaucracy at this time
• Most jobs were with the post office or the courts.
• Simple jobs, often used to reward political supporters.
Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats
• On July 2, 1881, President Garfield was
assassinated by a man upset that he was not given a
patronage position.
• Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, 1883
– Covered positions must be obtained by passing an exam.
– Civil servants cannot be fired without cause.
Organization of the Executive Branch
• The executive branch is divided into departments,
each headed by a secretary and a wide array of
deputies, assistant secretaries, and
undersecretaries.
Organization of the Executive Branch
• The basic operational unit is the agency.
– Sometimes called a bureau, service, or administration
– Examples:
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (Justice)
• Secret Service (Homeland Security)
• Food and Drug Administration (Health and Human
Services)
Organization of the Executive Branch
• Independent agencies
– Treated like any other bureaucratic agency, but exist
outside the current departmental system
– Usually have sweeping mandates
• CIA, EPA, NASA
Organization of the Executive Branch
• Government corporations
– Provide public services and, while chartered by the U.S.
government, are highly independent
– Have outside revenue sources
– May or may not get funding at any time
– Examples:
• Amtrak, United States Postal Service, Corporation for
Public Broadcasting, Tennessee Valley Authority
Organization of the Executive Branch
• Independent regulatory commissions
– Highly specialized rule-making bodies that are supposed to
be insulated from politics
– Typically overseen by a board of commissioners appointed
for fixed terms
Promoting the Public Welfare
Promoting the Public Welfare
• Many agencies are concerned with the general wellbeing of Americans, often with a special focus on the
most needy.
• Examples:
–
–
–
–
Housing and Urban Development
Health and Human Services
Veterans Affairs
Interior, Education, Labor, and Agriculture
Organizational Chart of the Department of
Agriculture
Promoting the Public Welfare
• Service provision
– The federal government either directly provides or
works with states and the private sector to provide many
services.
– Examples:
• Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid
• Libraries, parks, hospitals
Promoting the Public Welfare
• Iron triangles
– Beneficiaries who can link into interest groups have a
better time of seeing their programs grow.
• Elderly, through AARP—Social Security
• Veterans, through the VFW—veterans benefits
• Children, via farm groups—WIC & SNAP (food stamps)
– The poor generally have no interest group.
Iron Triangles
Iron Triangles
Iron Triangles
Providing National Security
• Agencies for internal security
– In 2002, Congress created the Department of Homeland
Security, a massive restructuring of the U.S. national
security bureaucracy.
• Security, immigration services and enforcement, privacy
law, transportation, and intelligence elements are linked
in different ways within this agency.
Providing National Security
Providing National Security
• USA PATRIOT ACT (2001)
– Made it much easier for law enforcement agents to search
phone, e-mail, medical, and financial records of terrorism
suspects
– Easier to detain and deport foreigners
Providing National Security
• External national security
• Department of State
– Employs diplomacy to make friends and marginalize
enemies abroad
• Department of Defense
– Unified under the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a civilian
secretary
Providing National Security
• National security and democracy
– How do we balance individual liberty with national security
concerns?
– How do we balance state secrets with an open society?
Keeping Secrets
Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed?
Maintaining a Strong Economy
• Monetary and fiscal agencies
• Fiscal policy: the government’s use of taxation,
monetary, and spending powers to manipulate the
economy.
Maintaining a Strong Economy
• The Federal Reserve Bank: “The Fed”
– Every night, some banks will have surplus money, and
some will need to borrow.
– The Fed determines the lending rate between banks,
which influences the rates they charge to borrowers.
– This helps determine how much money is in the economy
by making borrowing easier or more expensive.
Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed?
•
•
•
•
•
National Performance Review (1993)
Termination of programs
Deregulation
Devolution
Privatization
Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed?
• Privatization: paying private contractors to perform
tasks previously performed by government
employees
– 2000: the U.S. paid out $209b in contracts
– 2008: $528b
• Private contractors are not usually subjected to the
same standards or reviews as federal employees.
Outsourcing the Government
The President as Chief Executive
Managing the Bureaucracy
• The managerial presidency
– Presidents have vast authority over budgeting.
– Nominate top officials in every department
– Have tremendous influence over the policies agencies
propose and follow
• Difficult to displace agency cultures; civil servants
cannot be fired
Maintaining a Strong Economy
Managing the Bureaucracy
• Congressional oversight
– Committees are expected to oversee the executive-branch
agencies in their purview.
• Often oversight is partisan
• Can be effective in bringing issues to the public’s
attention
• Iron triangles: members of Congress can be too
supportive of agencies to be critical of them.
Public Opinion Poll
Do you generally approve or disapprove of the way the
federal bureaucracy is handling its job?
a) Approve
b) Disapprove
Public Opinion Poll
The U.S. military is a huge and very expensive
bureaucracy. As far as you can tell, is it an effective
and efficient bureaucracy?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Yes, it is an effective and efficient bureaucracy.
No, the military is neither effective nor efficient.
It is effective, but not efficient.
It is not effective, but it is efficient.
Public Opinion Poll
Do online service options make bureaucracies better at
their core business (whether it is driver licenses, class
registration, or looking up information from library
websites)?
a) Yes, online services make bureaucracy work better.
b) No, online services make bureaucracy worse.
c) It makes no difference.
Public Opinion Poll
Why do you think most Americans have a negative
view of the federal bureaucracy?
a) Negative personal experiences (long lines, poor
service, etc.)
b) Opinions that the public costs exceed the benefits
c) Both A and B
d) Disagree with premise that most Americans have
negative views of the bureaucracy.
Public Opinion Poll
The size of the bureaucracy has consistently shrunk
over the last 30 years. Federal jobs have been
phased out, or outsourced to private sector contractors.
Who should be credited or blamed (whatever your
point of view) for the smaller size of government?
a) Presidents
b) Congress
c) Both A and B
Chapter 14: Bureaucracy in a Democracy
• Quizzes
• Flashcards
• Outlines
• Exercises
wwnorton.com/we-the-people
Following this slide, you will find additional images,
figures, and tables from the textbook.
The Size of the Federal Service
Bureaucrats
Providing National Security
Leading through Civilian Power
Termination
Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed?
Navigate the Bureaucracy
Navigate the Bureaucracy
Navigate the Bureaucracy
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