THE FEDERAL
BUREACRACY
Examining the “Fourth Branch”
Question:
• What’s it like at the DMV?
– What did the inside of the DMV look like?
– What was the job of its employees?
– What service did you need?
– What rules or procedures did you have to
follow?
– What was positive and negative about the
experience?
bureaucracy
• literally
means “rule
by desks”
• government
by clerks
bureaucracy
Definition: an administrative
system, especially in a
government, that divides work
into specific categories carried
out by special departments of
nonelected officials
Characteristics of a
Bureaucracy
• administration of
government through
departments
• consists of unelected often
highly trained
professionals
• task specialization
• hierarchical authority
Public Perceptions
of Bureaucracies
• impersonal
• inclined to follow
rigid or complex
procedures
• may stifle
effectiveness and
innovation
• “red tape”
What is the federal bureaucracy?
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The Federal Bureaucracy
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The Federal Bureaucracy is:
4 million employees; 2.8 million are
civilians or “civil servants”
 President only appoints 3% (patronage or
political appointments)
 15 cabinet level departments
 200+ independent agencies with 2,000+
bureaus, divisions, branches, etc.
 Biggest - Dept. of Defense, U.S. Postal
Service, Veterans Administration
 Answer Discussion Questions

What does the federal bureaucracy do?
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The Federal Bureaucracy
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Functions of the Federal
Bureaucracy
1.
2.
3.
Implementation - carry out laws of
Congress, executive orders of the President
Administration - routine administrative
work; provide services (ex: SSA sends
social security checks to beneficiaries)
Regulation - issue rules and regulations
that impact the public (ex: EPA sets clean
air standards)
Source:
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/am_gov/chap6/a0606401.asp
What Implementation Means

Policies are not self-executing



Laws are usually vague
Bureaucracies work out the details
Implementation is critical



Create new agency or assign new responsibility
to existing agency
Translate policy goals into rules and guidelines
Coordinate resources
Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes
Flunk the Implementation Test




High expectations  dashed hopes
Program design (e.g., COBRA)
Lack of clarity
Lack of resources





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Lack of funding (e.g., Head Start)
Lack of personnel (disability, illegal aliens)
Lack of authority
Administrative routine (SOPs, “red tape”)
Administrators’ dispositions
Fragmentation
How is the federal bureaucracy organized?
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The Federal Bureaucracy
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The Federal Bureaucracy
Consists of
1. Cabinet Departments
2. Independent Executive Agencies
3. Independent Regulatory
Commissions
4. Government Corporations
Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy
Source: www.edmonds.wednet.edu/mths/ClassActivities/ Brzovic/policeymakersChapters12-16/
The Cabinet Departments
• The 15 cabinet departments
• Each headed by a cabinet secretary appointed
by the president and approved by the Senate
• Undersecretaries, deputy undersecretaries,
assistant secretaries, etc. (hierarchical)
• Each department has its own policy area,
own budget, own staff
• Department of Homeland Security, created in
2002, is newest department
Independent Regulatory Commissions
• Make and enforce rules
• Examples:
• Federal Communications Commission (public air waves)
• Federal Reserve Board (banking system, money supply)
• IRCs operate independently from Congress and the
President
• Governed by commissioners with fixed terms
• Appointed by president confirmed by Senate
• Difficult to fire / somewhat insulated from politics
• Meant to act in public interest
Government Corporations
• Government owned businesses created by
Congress
• Provide services that could be handled by
private sector
• Charge consumers for services but cheaper
• May or may not be profitable, but serve a
public need
• Ex: U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak, Tennessee
Valley Authority, Corporation for Public
Broadcasting
Independent Executive Agencies
• Everything else
• Established by Congress with separate
status outside the executive branch
• Administrators appointed by president
• Given a specific mandate and generally
perform a service function, not a
regulatory one.
• Some examples include: Social Security
Administration, CIA, NASA, EPA.
Who works for the federal government?
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Who are the “Bureaucrats?”
•
•
•
•
97% are career government employees
Only 10% live in the D.C. area
30% work for the D.O.D.
Less than 15% work for social
welfare
agencies
• Most are white collar workers:
secretaries, clerks, lawyers,
inspectors
& engineers
• Civil employees more diverse
demographically than Congress
Where do Federal Employees Work?
What Jobs Do Bureaucrats
Do?
Source: www.edmonds.wednet.edu/mths/ClassActivities/
Brzovic/policeymakersChapters12-16/
Characteristics of federal
nonpostal civilian employees
Answer in your packet:
• What generalizations can you make about
the federal work force based upon the
statistical information given?
1.
2.
3.
Who supervises the
federal bureaucracy?
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The President Supervises the
Bureaucracy
The President can:
• appoint & remove
agency heads
• reorganize the
bureaucracy
President Bush speaks about his budget
priorities for FY 2007
• issue executive orders
• reduce an agency's
budget
Congress Oversees the Bureaucracy
Congress can:
• create or abolish agencies
& departments
• cut or reduce funding
• investigate agency activities
• hold committee hearings
• pass legislation that alters
agency's functions
an
Former FEMA Chief Michael Brown testifies before
House committee investigating Hurricane Katrina
• influence or even fail to confirm
presidential appointments
Federal Courts Check the Bureaucracy
Federal courts can:
• through judicial review
rule on whether the
bureaucracy has acted
within the law and the
U.S. Constitution
• provide due process for
individuals affected by
a bureaucratic action
Supreme Court of the United States
The Bureaucracy of Pizza
Thinking Critically (to turn in)
1. Why is the federal bureaucracy often referred to as “the
fourth branch?”
2. Some critics believe that the real power in the federal
government lies with the federal bureaucracy. To what
extent do you believe this is true?