Federal Bureaucracy

1. Federal Bureaucracy The “Fourth” Branch of the Government!!!

2. Introduction • Classic conception of bureaucracy (Max Weber) • Hierarchical authority structure • Uses task specialization • Operate on the merit principle • Behave with impersonality • A well-organized machine with lots of working parts.

3. The Bureaucrats • Who They Are and How They Got There • Civil Service: From Patronage to Protection. • Patronage: Job given for political reasons. • Civil Service: System of hiring and promotion based on merit and nonpartisanship (Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883). • Merit Principle: Entrance exams and promotion ratings to find people with talent and skill. • Office of Personnel Management: The federal office in charge of most of the government’s hiring.

4. The Bureaucrats

5. Federal Bureaucracy Federal Bureaucracy President Congress Executive Office of the President (Ex: OMB, NSC) Independent Regulatory Commissions (Ex: FCC, SEC) Independent Executive Agencies (Ex: CIA, NASA) Cabinet Departments (Ex: State, Defense) Government Corporations (Ex: Amtrack, Postal Service)

6. Four Types of Federal Agencies • 1. Executive Departments • Cabinet Heads appointed by the president • Confirmed by Senate with its advice & consent • 2. Independent Regulatory Commissions • Small commissions w/greater independence • Fix terms – can only be fired “for cause” (Ex. Federal Reserve Board, Federal Communication Commission, Federal Trade Commission) • 3. Government Corporations • Government companies that serve Public for fee • Suppose to be self supporting • Insurance (FDIC), Energy (TVA), Communication (PO), Trans (AMTRAC) • 4. Independent Agencies • Not part of Executive Department w/sub-cabinet rank • NASA, EPA, CIA • All heads serve at Pleasure of President 7

7. How they are organized… • Hierarchical Authority Structure: • 15 Cabinets are headed by a secretary. • Each has its own budget, staff, and policy areas. • Those staffs determine how the policies will be implemented and monitored. • Work to expand their powers and programs across America.

8. How Bureaucracies Are Organized • Organization of the Executive Branch (Figure 15.3)

9. Independent Regulatory Commissions • IRCs exist to regulate a specific economic activity or interest such as the Federal Communications Commission (public air waves) or Federal Reserve Board (banking system, money supply) • IRCs operate independently from Congress and the President • Once appointed and seated, members cannot be removed without cause

10. Government Corporations • Government owned businesses created by Congress • May or may not be profitable, but serve a public need • Ex: U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak, Tennessee Valley Authority, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

11. Independent Executive Agencies • Established by Congress with separate status outside the executive branch • Given a specific mandate and generally perform a service function, not a regulatory one. • Some examples include: Social Security Administration, CIA, NASA, EPA.

12. Reasons: National growth Technology management (ex: ICC, FAA, FCC) Citizens demands! The will to survive (difficult for Congress to kill) Discussion: Why has the bureaucracy grown so much? Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

13. The Bureaucracy’s Job • All federal organizations share one job: to implement laws and policies. • IMPLEMENTATION-the process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending. • Most agencies implement the law through 2 means: • REGULATIONS-formal instructions for either running an agency or for controlling the behavior of private citizens and organizations • SPENDING-which involves the transfer of money to and from government.

14. Implementation • Most often, the bureaucracy is left to workout the details/administration of Congressional policy. • Includes 3 elements: • Creation of a new agency or assignment to an old agency • Translation of policy goals into operational rules and development of guidelines for the program. • Coordination of resources and personnel to achieve the intended goals

15. Breakdown of Implementation Lack of clarity (read chapter for example of Title IX) Lack of resources: money, staff, facilities, authority, etc. Too many rules can frustrate citizens… “red tape”…time consuming Lack of coordination amongst agencies (9/11, services to poor)

16. Regulation Examples: SEC, affirmative-action, EPA) A large majority of what we do is impacted by Federal Regulation History: farmers, railroads, and the Interstate Commerce Commission.

17. Deregulation • Deregulation-the removal of government restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities. • Those opposed to massive government regulation claim it causes: 1. limits competitiveness for American business with other countries 2. lack of success of regulation and unintended consequences 3. increase in prices

18. Control of the Bureaucracy President: appointment, executive orders, influence of OMB. Congress: Oversight, budget, holding hearings, rewrite laws, approval power

19. Influences on Bureaucracies • “Iron Triangles”: Bureaucracies are often intertwined with private interest groups and congressional committees. • The President attempts to influence bureaucracies by appointing certain individuals, and if necessary, reorganizing agencies.

20. Understanding Bureaucracies • Bureaucracy and Democracy • Iron Triangles and Issue Networks • Iron Triangles: 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.

21. Iron Triangles 24

22. Types of Bureaucratic Jobs • Examples: DMV, DOL, Health and Human Services, Child Protective Services, and county offices. • Concern is over the “red tape” that exists in the bureaucratic system-how much of the work is really necessary?