Bureaucratic Reforms
AP Government and Politics
Chapter 13: Wilson
As long as there has been a federal bureaucracy, there have been complaints about its inefficiency,
ineffectiveness, arrogance, and lack of responsiveness to the public's needs. Poll after poll has revealed that
government bureaucracies consistently rank among the most unpopular institutions in America.
What do you perceive to be the biggest problem(s) with the bureaucracy?
SUGGESTIONS FOR REFORM
Some suggestions for reforming the bureaucracy are:

Downsizing the number of agencies/departments – People who worry about the size of government have
proposed several changes, including hiring freezes, restrictions on the creation of new departments and
bureaus, and even the elimination of bureaucratic units. The most popular reform idea of the Reagan years
was privatization, the transfer of many government functions to the private sector.
 Reason for the size of the bureaucracy or inability to downsize:


Limiting appointments to 6-12 years. After the appointment expires, the bureaucrat would then have to
go through reexamination and their performance would be reviewed for possible rehire.
 Reason for lifetime tenure:


Would you support reform?
Making it easier to fire a bureaucrat. Civil service rules that are meant to protect workers from partisan
politics have made it difficult to fire anyone for poor performance. Reformers want to remove those rules.
 Reason for difficulty in firing:


Would you support reform?
Would you support reform?
Rotating professionals between agencies and from outside. Reformers believe that this practice would
bring new blood to agencies and encourage workers to get a broader view of government service.
 Reason why ‘crats don’t rotate:

Would you support reform?

Rewarding employee initiatives and fewer rules. The bureaucracy is criticized for having rigid rules that
restrict new ideas and individual initiatives. Reformers suggests that rules be streamlined and modernized,
and that suggestions from employees should be encouraged and rewarded.
 Reason why rules exist:


Emphasizing customer satisfaction. Government bureaucrats are often criticized for not caring about their
customers. Unlike private businesses, government agencies do not have to compete for customers, so
their clients are not given the attention they deserve.
 Reason why performance not based on customer satisfaction:


Would you support reform?
Would you support reform?
Cutting “red tape”. The bureaucracy is often criticized for the seeming sea of paperwork required to get
anything done. Filling out forms, standing in line, and being put on hold on the telephone all have resulted
in many people being discouraged from ever applying for benefits they rightfully deserve.
 Reason why “red tape” exists:

Would you support reform:
Given the significant obstacles to bureaucratic reform, several important observations can be made. First, if
reforms are to occur, they are unlikely to occur rapidly. Reformers must be willing to work at implementing their
proposed reforms over several years. Second, a clear set of goals must be articulated and promising new solutions
must be identified. A plan that simply replaces old inefficiencies with new ones is unlikely to win broad support.
Finally, reformers must work to build consensus across and within the Legislative and Executive branches. For the
reforms to work, they must have broad political support.