THE BUREACRACYOR HOW THINGS GET DONE AND WHO

DOES THEM

WHAT IS IT?

•Bureaucracy = any large, complex organization where employees have specific job responsibilities and work within a hierarchy of authority•Employees= bureaucrats

• Necessary to carry out nation’s laws and policies

CIVIL SERVICE

• Jobs in government used to be a reward for helping out a winning candidate - called patronage

• Now jobs are (???) merit based - through the civil service system•Due to the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Act which established a civil service board and testing procedures for advancement

BUREAUS AND BUREAUCRATS

•Departments•Biggest units of Executive

branch•Department secretaries and

other key officials make up President’s Cabinet

•Each department has its own budget and staff

CURRENT DEPARTMENTS• State (1789)• Treasury (1789)• Defense (1947, replaced Dept. of War-1789)• Justice (1789)• Interior (1849)• Agriculture (1862)• Commerce (1903)• Labor (1913)• Health and Human Service (1953)• Housing and Urban Development (1966)• Transportation (1966)• Energy (1977)• Education (1979)• Veterans Affairs (1988)• Homeland Security (2001)

REGULATORY AGENCIES

• Stand alone agencies that are NOT part of the Cabinet• CIA

• Others structured as Regulatory Commissions-control or direct some aspects of economy• Each commission run by odd number of

commissioners

REGULATORY AGENCIES

• Create regulations that protect people• Can enforce regulations by judging

disputes• Headed by commission (confirmed by

Congress) rather than secretary• Closely involved with interest groups

that want to influence regulations

REGULATORY AGENCIES

• 1887-ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission)• 1914-FTC (Federal Trade Commission)• 1931-FDA (Food and Drug Administration)• 1934-FCC (Federal Communications Commission)• 1934-SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)• 1970-EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)• 1972-OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health

Administration)• 1972- CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission)• 1975-FEC (Federal Elections Commission)

GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS

• Agency that performs services-for a fee-that might be provided by the private sector• Postal service is the largest-govt. feels

citizens deserve low-cost, door-to door mail delivery

• TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)• Amtrak-provides an essential service but

private sector did not have enough financial incentive to run

INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

• Most created for specific purposes…NASA

• GSA-General Services Administration-handles govt. purchasing

• Heads appointed by the President•Usually have partisan motivation

BUREAUCRACIES AS IMPLEMENTORS

• Enact and enforce rules and procedures for putting Congress’ policy decisions into practice•Work out details and guidelines•Assign responsibilities among

bureaucrats• Oversee day-to-day operations of

federal govt.

PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTING POLICY

• After policies developed, they must be implemented• Implementation = process of

putting specific policies into operation•Must convert policies on paper into action

•Some policies are not clear or leave too much discretion

PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTING POLICY

• Congress learned National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) provided a grant for a museum exhibit that angered some conservatives-didn’t want tax funds going to “pornography”• Bitter battle in Congress ended in

compromise that NEA grants be restricted to works that fall within “general standards of decency”• Who decides on the standards of decency???

PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTING POLICY

• Department lacks staff or resources to carry out implementation

• Agency mired in standard operating procedures

• Can be confusion when several different departments are involved in the implementation of a particular policy

• Reorg. of bureaucracy for sake of efficiency unlikely b/c it would disrupt iron triangle – congressional committees, agencies they oversee and affiliated interest groups

IRON TRIANGLE

IRON TRIANGLE

Con

gres

sion

al C

omm

ittee

s

Bureaucracies

Interest Groups

Public???

BUREAUCRACIES AS REGULATORS

• Oversee policies once they are in place through regulation• Establish guidelines for a program or

project• Enforce guidelines

• Through complaints registered by the public• Through inspections• By issuing permits and licenses to people who

meet guidelines

BUREAUCRACIES AS REGULATORS

• Bureaucratic institutions have the authority to change rules of a policy and apprehend violators

• All products and many daily activities are shaped by regulation

BUREAUCRACY AND DEMOCRACY

• Governmental bureaucracy hires the most civilians• Answers ultimately to the President

• Appoints agency heads who will support his policies

• Issues executive orders • Directive issued by the President• Some orders have the force of law

• usually to help direct the operation of executive officers

BUREAUCRACY AND DEMOCRACY

• Bureaucracy partially controlled by Congress• Ultimately determines each agency’s

budget• Can refuse to confirm Presidential

appointment• Performs legislative oversight through

hearings• Can change the legislation behind a

program

REFORMING THE BUREACRACY

• Regulation-govt. intervention in the workings of a business market to promote a socially desired goal

• Deregulation-govt. reduces its role as regulator of business

• Competition and outsourcing- procedures that allow private contractors to bid for jobs previously held exclusively by govt. employees

DEREGULATION

• Lets market forces of supply and demand take over• Conservatives support b/c they see

freedom in marketplace as best route to efficient and growing economy

• 1970s and 80s-lots of deregulation in airline, trucking, finance and telecomm• 1992-Bell telephone system broken up in out of

court settlement centering on lack of choice of long-distance carriers

• Resulted in competition between AT&T, MCI and Sprint

ISSUES

• When we think of bureaucracy we think of problems

• Red tape - complex and conflicting rules• Conflict - agencies work against each

other• Duplication - agencies do the same

thing• Waste - a by-product of bureaucracy

DOES IT WORK?

• Yes-surprisingly well•Look at the mail service or the fact that we made it to the moon

•Argument is it could be better and more efficient