THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
JOBS
• Spoils
party
System - The hiring of loyalists to the newly elected
• Patronage
- Jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given
as rewards to friends and allies for their support
• Merit
System - A system of employment based on
qualifications, test scores, and ability
• Pendleton
Act - Reform law that established federal
employment based on open, competitive exams. Created the
Civil Service Commission
• Civil
Service System - The merit system by which many
federal bureaucrats are selected
GROWTH
•
Most early growth in the bureaucracy was due to commerce
•
1887 - Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission
(ICC). Was the first Independent Regulatory Commission
•
TR created the Department of Commerce and Labor in 1901 and
Wilson split it into 2 departments in 1913. Congress then created
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
•
The 16th amendment and the creation of the Income Tax in 1913
allowed for greater government revenue, and therefore more
spending and programs
•
The Great Depression saw the rise of more govt agencies and
programs such as Social Security. Even more have been added since.
BUREAUCRATS
•
There are 2.7 million federal employees working in 2000 different
units of the federal government.
•
Some departments have a problem with being able to fill positions,
especially in dangerous areas so the govt has hired private
contractors to fill those positions.
•
In 2008 $538bn was spent on contractors
ORGANIZATION
•
There are about 1,150 civilian government agencies
•
They fall into 4 categories:
•
Cabinet Departments - Major administrative units
•
Government Corporations - Businesses established by the
government
•
Independent Executive Agencies - Like cabinet
departments but with a narrower, service-based focus
•
Independent Regulatory Commissions - Designed to
regulate specific activities free from partisan influence
HOW IT WORKS
•
Implementation - The process by which a law or policy is put
into operation
•
Iron Triangles - The relatively stable relationships and patterns of
interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and
congressional committees or subcommittees
•
Issue Networks - The loose and informal relationships that exist
among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas
•
Interagency Councils - Working groups created to facilitate
coordination of policy making and implementation across a host of
governmental agencies
MAKING POLICY
•
Administrative Discretion - The ability of bureaucrats to
make choices concerning the best way to implement congressional
or executive intentions
•
Rule Making - A quasi-legislative process that results in regulations
that have the characteristics of a legislative act
•
Regulations - Rules that govern the operation of all government
programs that have the force of law
•
Administrative Adjudication - A quasi-judicial process in
which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties in
a manner similar to the way courts resolve disputes
•
Agencies are subject to Congressional and Judicial oversight