The Federal
Bureaucracy
AP Government
Unit 4B
The Federal Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy is the mechanism that
carries out the day to day business of
government.
 The
bureaucracy was created to carry out a
broad range of tasks, to provide necessary
services, and to act as experts in particular
areas of policy.
The bureaucracy has grown ever larger to
number ~ 3 million civilian employees
 AKA…the Fourth Branch

The Weberian Model of
Bureaucracy


Max Weber’s theory was that the political
process is controlled by political elites in the
bureaucracy
These bureaucrats use the following model to
make government more efficient and run like a
well-organized machine with lots of working
parts.
 Hierarchical
authority structure
 Task specialization
 Operate on merit principle
 Behave with impersonality
The Bureaucrats

Who They Are and How They Got There
 Most
demographically representative part of
government.
 Diversity of jobs mirrors the private sector.
Figure 15.2
The Organization of the Federal
Bureaucracy

The federal bureaucracy consists of the
1. Cabinet departments
2. Independent agencies
3. Government corporations
4. Independent regulatory commissions
How Bureaucracies Are Organized

The Cabinet Departments
 15
Cabinet departments headed by a
secretary
 Department of Justice headed by Attorney
General
 Each has its own budget, staff and policy
areas

Some Republicans (esp. Libertarians) have been
trying to eliminate several departments including
Education and Energy
“The
Department
of the Interior”
How Bureaucracies
Are Organized
Figure 15.4
How Bureaucracies Are Organized

The Independent 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 - important function watched
by interest groups and citizens alike.
 Concern over “capture” of the agencies by
Congress or the President
 Concern over “capture” by interest groups in
their issue network (iron triangle)
How Bureaucracies Are Organized

The Government Corporations
 Business
like - provide a service like private
companies; typically charges for services.
 Postal Service, Amtrak are examples

Independent Executive Agencies
 The
agencies that don’t fit in anywhere else.
 NASA is an example
What Roles Do Government
Bureaucrats Perform?

Bureaucrats:
 communicate
with each other
 maintain paper for accountability
 interpret the law
 and implement the objectives of the organization.

Congress has delegated a significant amount of
authority to the federal bureaucracy by granting
agencies the power to draft federal
regulations (rule-making) and to adjudicate
conflicts over these regulations.
Pendleton Civil Service
Reform Act (1883)

This established the United States Civil
Service Commission which placed most
federal employees on the merit system
and marked the end of the so-called
“spoils system”.
Changes in the Bureaucracy


Prior to 1883, bureaucrats
were political
appointees—a result of
the spoils system or
patronage.
The assassination of
President Garfield in 1881
led to the passage of the
Civil Service Act of
1883, which created a
merit system for the
hiring of federal
bureaucrats.
“I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts...
Arthur is President now.'"
How Do Bureaucrats Get Their
Jobs Today?

Most must apply with Office of Personnel
Management
 The
federal office in charge of most of the
government’s hiring.

Merit System: Entrance exams and promotion
ratings to find people with talent and skill.
 System
of hiring and promotion based on merit and
nonpartisanship
Recruiting from 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.

Bureaucracy “Personalities”





The Bureaus and Agencies tend to take on their own
‘personalities’
This may be from the type of person who applies for a
job to the type of work that is done there
Conservatives dominate the Dept. of Defense
Liberals dominate the social service departments
Other examples:
 “Activist” bureaus and agencies:

EPA, FDA, Federal Trade Commission
 “Traditional”

bureaus and agencies:
Agriculture, Treasury, and Commerce
Discretionary Authority



The real power of the bureaucracy is the ability for
bureaucrats to choose courses of action and make
policies that affect all Americans
This “discretionary authority” can carry the
weight of laws for the general public and
businesses/corporations
Examples:
 Safety features on cars
 Pollution emission standards
 Product standards
The Executive Branch
IMPLEMENTS Laws

What Implementation Means
 It
involves translating the goals and objectives
of a policy into an operating, ongoing program
for the chief executive.
 In other words….making the law work in the
real world!
Creating / assigning an agency the policy
 Turning policy into rules, regulations and forms.
 Coordinating resources to achieve the goals.

Why the Best-Laid Plans
Sometimes Flunk the
Implementation Test
 Program
Design is bad.
 Administrative Routine.


Difficult to bring uniformity to complex organizations.
It is often difficult to change the routines of long time
employees
 Lack of Clarity.
 Congressional laws are ambiguous and imprecise.
 Sometimes the laws conflict with each other.
 Lack of Resources.
 Agencies may be big, but not in the right areas.
How Presidents Try to Control
the Bureaucracy
 Appoint
the right people.
 Issue executive orders.
 Tinker with the agency’s budget.
 Reorganize an agency.
The Congressional Connection

Congress appropriates funds for the bureaus and
agencies



However, the committee has lost some of its power due to:
Trust funds - operate outside the regular government
budget to assure citizens services and benefits



Traditionally the Appropriations Committee held the majority of this
power
Social Security
Annual Authorizations which gives the whole Congress
a chance to voice an opinion yearly on appropriations for
bureaus and agencies
Recent budget deficits have meant that Congress is
trying to reduce spending
How Congress Tries to Control
the Bureaucracy
 Influence
presidential
appointments.
 Tinker with the agency’s
budget.
 Hold hearings.
 Rewrite the legislation or
make it more detailed.
Committee Clearance
A committee clearance is an informal
way that Congress can still control the
bureaucracy
 Congress may obtain the right to void the
decision of a bureau or agency chief

 This
may be political or personal reasons
Understanding Bureaucracies

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 get rid
of.
 Some argue iron triangles are being replaced
by wider issue networks that focus on more
policies.
The Iron Triangle

Iron triangle is a phrase from the 1960’s
and 1970’s used to describe the cozy
relationships in US politics between these
three entities:
 the
Legislative Branch (especially
subcommittees)
 the Bureaucracy
 Lobbyists and interest groups
The Legislative Branch
(especially subcommittees)
Who Benefits from the Iron
Triangle?
Powerful interest groups
 Members of Congress
 Federal employees

 Consumers
are often left out in the cold by
this arrangement.

Iron triangles result in the passing of very
narrow, “pork barrel” policies also known
as earmarks that benefit only one small
segment of the population
1990’s and Beyond- Issue Networks




The nature of political alliances has also
changed: they are rarely permanent anymore.
Issue networks are looser and broader
coalitions than iron triangles
The term “iron triangle” has fallen out of favor
among political scientists because it was no
longer an accurate description of changed
political dynamics.
A triangle no longer exemplifies the complicated
structures generated by the fragmentation of
complex issues.
 You
rarely find just two competing sides to an issue
anymore
A Divided Government Kills
(or maybe maims) Iron Triangles



Another trend which outdates the concept of iron
triangles is divided government.
When the legislative branch and the executive
branch are controlled by different political
parties, conflicting political agendas make cozy
relationships nearly impossible.
Only when Congress and the White House are
both controlled by the same party can strong
alliances between the branches form.
Legislative Veto
A Congressional requirement that some
executive decisions must get Congress’
approval before taking effect
 Congress could then review and VETO the
decision if both House’s agree
 The Supreme Court ruled it
unconstitutional, but Congress still uses it,
or other pressures ($$$ read p.429).

Hatch Act (1939)


The main provision of the Hatch Act of 1939 is to
prohibit federal employees (Civil Servants) from
engaging in partisan political activity.
Named after Senator Carl Hatch of New Mexico,
the law was officially known as “An Act to
Prevent Pernicious Political Activities”.
Freedom of
Information Act (1966)

This Act assures the media and private
citizens a legal right to government
information
 Also
known as “Open Records Laws” or
“Sunshine Laws”

The requester does not usually have to
give an explanation for their request, but if
the information is not disclosed a valid
reason has to be given.
The National Environmental
Policy Act (1969)

Requires federal agencies to integrate
environmental values into their decision
making processes by considering the
environmental impacts of their proposed
actions and reasonable alternatives to
those actions
 The
popularity of Rachel Carson’s book,
Silent Spring, was instrumental in the
continued support of the NEPA
Federal Open Meeting Law (1977)


The law opened the doors for the
media and private citizens to more
than 50 federal boards and
agencies.
All agencies under the act must
announce their meetings at least a
week in advance.
 Closed
session are allowed under
specific circumstances, but the reason
for the closed meeting must be certified
by the legal officer of the agency.
Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
Attempted to reform the civil service of
the federal government
 Was not successful.

Whistleblower Protection Act of
1989
Supposed to protect employees who
report unethical/illegal actions within their
agency
 Risky
 Rarely tried, and works even less

National Performance
Review 1993

The National Performance Review was
created during the Clinton Administration
by Vice- President Al Gore.
 Often called “Reinventing government”
 From red tape to results: creating a
government that works better and costs less.
It encouraged agencies to find more
effective means of doing government
business.
 Mildly effective
