The Simpsons Movie
Overview
• Democracy
• Executive Power
• Governance
– What is the role of government?
– Is government necessary?
– Is government competent?
Democracy
• Democracy = demos + kratia = rule by
people
Executive Power
• The President is Chief Executive, a role
which nominally places him in charge of the
federal bureaucracy
Cabinet Departments
• Cabinet Departments
– 15 Cabinet Departments
Agriculture
Commerce
Education
Energy
Homeland Sec
HUD
Justice
Labor
Transportation
Treasury
Defense
HHS
Interior
State
VA
Independent Executive Agencies
• IEAs are agencies who report directly to the
president but stand independent of the
federal bureaucracy
e.g.,
– CIA
– EPA
– NASA
EPA Director Lisa Jackson
Independent Regulatory Agency
• Agency substantially independent of both
the rest of the executive branch and
Congress
• Usually dedicated to regulating a narrow
area of public policy
– e.g., Fed FCC FTC NLRB, EEOC
Government Corporations
• Government owned business designed as a
for-profit enterprise
• e.g., FDIC, TVA, USPS, AmTrak, PBS
Staffing
• Spoils System
– Job appointments
given over to executive
branch
– Jobs awarded on the
basis of political ties
and fealty
Staffing
• Merit System
– 1883 Pendleton Act
(Civil Service Reform
Act)
• Jobs awarded on basis
of merit/qualifications
• Created Civil Service
Commission to
administer personnel
decisions (hire/pay)
Staffing
–Civil Service Reform Act (1978)
Merit Systems Protection Board
Office of Personnel Mangement
Functions
• Bureaucracies are in some
ways a “mini” government
unto unthemselves
– administrative
• implementation of
legislative and executive
policies
– quasi legislative
• proposed rules
– quasi judicial
• enforcement of rules
Functions
• Bureaucrats can have
important role in shaping
public policy
– they can support the
president with information
– they can shape presidential
options with information
provided
– they can undermine the
president with information
and actions
Governance
• Is Government necessary? Or a necessary
evil?
• Is government able to live up to its
responsiblities?
– Environmental Protection
– National Security