Bureaucracy

Federal Bureaucracy

• Largest part of the federal government

• Fastest growing part of the federal government

• Least subject to democratic control

Overview

• Rationale For• Organization Of

– Cabinet– Independent Executive Agencies– Independent Regulatory Agencies– Government Corporations

• Staffing• Procedures

Rationale

• Promote more efficient distribution of government services

• Look at basic bureaucratic structure

NJCU

COE CAS CPS

Arts Sciences

Social Natural

Anthro Soc Poli Econ Psych

IR Theory Amer Gov

ComparativeGovernment

Rationale

• Efficiency obtained through:– Hierarchy/Chain of Command– Specialization and Expertise– Impersonal Relations– Standard Operating Procedures

Cabinet Departments

• Cabinet Departments– 15 Cabinet Departments

Agriculture Commerce Defense

Education Energy HHS

Homeland Sec HUD Interior

Justice Labor State

Transportation Treasury VA

Cabinet Departments

• Defense is the largest in terms of personnel (664,524) and budget

• Education is the smallest department (4,567) – FY 2007 Budgets by Department

Independent Executive Agencies

• IEAs are agencies who report directly to the president but stand independent of the federal bureaucracye.g., – CIA– EPA– NASA

Independent Regulatory Agency

• Agency substantially independent of both the rest of the executive branch and Congress

• Usually dedicated to regulating a narrow area of public policy– e.g., Fed FCC FTC NLRB, EEOC

Government Corporations

• Government owned business designed as a for-profit enterprise

• e.g., FDIC, TVA, USPS, AmTrak, PBS

Staffing

• Spoils System– Job appointments given over to executive

branch– Jobs awarded on the basis of political ties and

fealty

Staffing

• Merit System– 1883 Pendleton Act

(Civil Service Reform Act)

• Jobs awarded on basis of merit/qualifications

• Created Civil Service Commission to administer personnel decisions (hire/pay)

Staffing

Office of Personnel Mangement

Merit Systems Protection Board

–Civil Service Reform Act (1978)

Functions

• Bureaucracies are in some ways a “mini” government unto unthemselves– administrative

• implementation of legislative and executive policies

– quasi legislative• proposed rules

– quasi judicial• enforcement of rules

Functions

• Bureaucrats can have important role in shaping public policy– they can support the president with information– they can shape presidential options with

information provided– they can undermine the president with

information and actions

Functions

• “Whistleblower” protection– Enacted originally in 1989, renewed and

amended since then– Protects employees who disclose wasteful

spending, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, illegal activities, etc. at place of employment, including federal agencies

Functions

• Bureaucrats have a crucial role to play in development of policy considerations

• Main players in public policy are:– legislative– executive– interest groups involved on issue

Functions

Bureaucrats

Congressional committees

Interest Groups

Functions

• “Public” policy becomes less concerned over issues related to the broad public

• Specific groups affected by the proposed policy and policy changes dictate public policy

• Once programs are created, it is very difficult to remove them

Functions

Angora wool subsidies– 1954 National Wool Act– 1960 wool removed from list

of “strategic materials”– 1989 recommendation to kill

program costing $230 million/year (DOA)

– 1993 Senate passed recommendation to kill

– 1994 main program killed, but...

– 2008 program continues in downscaled form (special assistance loans to producers)

Bureaucratic Reform

• Sunset Laws– Timed phase out of government programs unless have

explicit renewal provision enacted

• Sunshine Laws– Open bureaucratic proceedings to greater public

scrutiny and access

• Privatization– Turn government programs over to the private sector– Greater efficiency of market forces will produce better

service at a cheaper cost to taxpayers