The Federal Bureaucracy
Chapter 15
Bureaucracy
 The agencies,
departments,
commissions,
etc. within the
executive branch
 Already covered
the Executive
Office of the
President and
Cabinet
The Bureaucrats
Myths:
Americans dislike
bureaucrats.
Bureaucracies are growing
bigger each year.
Most federal bureaucrats
work in Washington, D.C.
Bureaucracies are ineffective,
inefficient and always mired
in red tape.
Reality: Most tasks performed
by bureaucrats are not
controversial.
The Bureaucrats
 A bureaucrat is someone who works for the
government, carrying out policy.
 Most demographically representative part of
government.
 Diversity of jobs mirrors the private sector.
The Bureaucrats
 Patronage: Job given for
political reasons.
 Pendleton Civil Service Act in
1883 began the creation of a
merit-based civil service.
 Civil Service: System of hiring
and promotion based on merit
and nonpartisanship.
 Merit Principle: Entrance
exams and promotion ratings
to find people with talent and
skill.
 Hatch Act: Civil Servants can’t
be political activists while at
work
 Office of Personnel
Management: The federal
office in charge of most of the
government’s hiring.
The Bureaucrats
The Plum Book
 Published by Congress.
 Lists the very top jobs
available for Presidential
appointment.
 Presidents work to find
capable people to fill
the positions.
 Some plum jobs
(ambassadorships) are
patronage.
The Weberian Model
 Bureaucracy must
be/have:
 Hierarchical
authority structure
 Uses task
specialization
 Operate on the
merit principle
 Behave with
impersonality
 A well-organized
machine with lots of
working parts.
The Acquisitive Model
Bureaucracies seek to
maximize their budgets
 Work to expand their
powers and programs,
even joining with
Congress to expand
their functions
 Often operate under
monopolistic conditions
 Privatization could cut
back on the
monopolistic attitudes
of the bureaucracies
Four Categories of Bureaucracy
 The Cabinet
Departments
 15 Cabinet departments
 14 headed by a secretary
 Department of Justice
headed by Attorney
General
 Each has its own budget,
staff and policy areas
 Republicans have been
trying to eliminate several
departments
Organization of the Executive
Branch
Department of the Interior
Rick Perry struggles with the
bureaucracy:
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Four Categories of Bureaucracies
Regulatory Agencies
 Independent: Responsible
for some sector of the
economy making rules and
judging disputes to protect
the public interest.
 Headed by a commission of
5-10 people.
 Rule making is an
important function
watched by interest groups
and citizens alike.
 EPA, SEC
Four Categories of Bureaucracies
 Government
Corporations
 Business likeprovide a service like
private companies
and typically charges
for its services
 Postal Service,
Amtrak are examples
 Independent
Executive Agencies
 The agencies that
don’t fit anywhere
else
 NASA is an example
Implementation
Translating the goals and
objectives of a law passed by
Congress into an operating,
ongoing program.
 It includes:
Creating / assigning an
agency the policy
Turning policy into
regulations.
Coordinating resources to
achieve the goals.
Getting feedback and
revising regulations.
Why Some Policies Fail
Poor program design
Lack of Clarity.
Congressional laws are
ambiguous and imprecise.
Sometimes the laws conflict
with each other.
Title IX
Lack of Resources
Budget cuts may make it
difficult for agencies to fulfill
their goals.
May lack authority to do their
jobs
Why Policies Fail
 Administrative Routines
 Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs)
designed to save time
and bring uniformity
 Also lead to charges of
too much “red tape”
 Administrative Discretion
 Ability to ignore or
subvert portions a policy
 Street-level bureaucrats
have the most
discretion.
 Fragmentation.
 Some policies are spread
among several agencies.
Why Policies Succeed
 A Case Study: The Voting
Rights Act of 1965
 Had a clear, concise goal
(increase registration and
turnout rates among Afircan
Americans).
 The implementation was
clear (send Federal
Marshals to the South).
 Those carrying out the law
had obvious authority and
vigor to do so.
Regulation
 Regulation: Use of governmental authority to control or change
some practice in the private sector.
 A Full Day of Regulation.
 Federal agencies check, verify and inspect many of the
products and services we take for granted.
Regulation
 Command-and-Control
Policy: Government
tells business how to
reach certain goals,
checks the progress
and punishes
offenders.
 Incentive System:
Positive behavior is
rewarded with tax
credits or other
benefits.
Deregulation
 Deregulation: The lifting of restrictions on business, industry
and professional activities.
 Problems with Strict Regulations
 Raises prices
 Hurts U.S.’s competitive position abroad
 Are not always effective
Understanding Bureaucracies
 President tries to
control:
 Appoint capable
people to head
agencies
 Executive orders
 Change agency’s
budget
 Reorganize agency
 Congress tries to
control:
 Influence appointment
of agency heads
 Change agency’s
budget
 Hold hearings
(oversight)
 Rewrite laws or add
details
Understanding
Bureaucracies
 Bureaucracy and
Democracy
 Iron Triangles and Issue
Networks
 A mutually dependent
relationship between
bureaucratic agencies, interest
groups, and congressional
committees or subcommittees.
 Exist independently of each
other.
 They are tough, but not
impossible, to eliminate
 Some argue they are being
replaced by wider issue
networks that focus on more
policies.
Iron Triangle