1 / 9

Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy. U3, C15. What is a Bureaucracy? What are the benefits of a Bureaucracy?. Large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization Features and benefits: Hierarchical authority Chain of command Speed action, reduce conflicts

betsy
Download Presentation

Bureaucracy

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Bureaucracy U3, C15

  2. What is a Bureaucracy?What are the benefits of a Bureaucracy? Large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization Features and benefits: • Hierarchical authority • Chain of command • Speed action, reduce conflicts • Job specialization • Each bureaucrat has certain defined duties and responsibilities; division of labor • Efficiency: each person focus on particular job; special skills and knowledge • Formalized rules • Established regulations and procedures • Workers act with some speed and precision, decisions based on set of known standards; allow for efficient turnover

  3. What’s in a name? Department: reserved for agencies of Cabinet rank (Department of Education) Agency and Administration: any government body (EPA and NASA) Commission: Agencies charged with regulation of business activities (FCC) and investigative, advisory, and reporting bodies (FEC) Corporation or Authority: Agencies that conduct business-like activities (TVA) Staff agencies: serve in support capacity; aid chief executive and other administrators (Executive Office of the President) Line agencies: perform the tasks for which organization exists (EPA)

  4. Executive Office of the President • President’s right arm; advisors and assistants • Includes several major agencies: • The White House Office: “nerve center”, key personal and political staff • National Security Council: offer advice on domestic, foreign, and military matters that relate to nation’s security • Office of Homeland Security: protect country against all acts of terrorism • Other EOP agencies: • Office of Management and Budget • Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Council of Economic Advisors • Other units

  5. Executive Departments • Traditional units of federal administration; Cabinet departments (15) • Department head (secretary) primary link between presidential policy and his or her own department • Subunits (staff and line); structured geographically • 80% of men and women who head bureaus, divisions, and other major units of executive departments are career people • See chart on page 426-27 for list of these departments and their duties

  6. The Cabinet • Informal advisory body brought together by President to serve his needs • Cabinet members appointed by president and confirmed by Senate • Factors that influence President’s Cabinet choices • Party • Professional qualifications and political experience • Geography • Interest groups • Gender • Race • Role • Each Cabinet member is an administrative head of one of the executive departments • Together they are advisors to the President

  7. Independent Agencies • Administer programs similar to those of the Cabinet departments but are located outside of them • Do not fit well within any department • Protect from influence of partisan and political pressures • Accident • Peculiar and sensitive nature (independent regulatory commissions) • Executive Agencies • Do not have Cabinet status but organized much like them • Few employees, small budgets, little attention • Regulatory Commissions • Beyond the reach of presidential direction and control • Board of commission • Quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial • Government Corporations • Business-like activities

  8. Civil Service • Civilian employees who perform administrative work in government • Beginnings • Washington: party and qualified • Jefferson: political acceptability • Spoils system • Andrew Jackson • Patronage

  9. Civil Service – Movement to Reform and Today • Pendleton Act – the Civil Service Act 1883 • Make merit (quality of one’s work) the basis for hiring • Measured by independent agency – Civil Service Commission • Recruiting and keeping best available people in the federal work force • Office of Personnel Management • Pay and Benefits • Political Activities • The Hatch Act 1939 and Employees Political Activities Act 1993

More Related