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The Bureaucracy

The Bureaucracy. Chapter 13. BUREAUCRATS. GOVERNMENT WORKERS. Bureaucracies . Americans tend to be against “Big Government” in the abstract, but they also demand all kinds of government services : Postal services Social Security Environmental protection Airline regulation

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The Bureaucracy

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  1. The Bureaucracy Chapter 13

  2. BUREAUCRATS GOVERNMENT WORKERS

  3. Bureaucracies • Americans tend to be against • “Big Government” in the abstract, but they also demand all kinds of government services: • Postal services • Social Security • Environmental protection • Airline regulation • Food safety 3

  4. Bureaucracies • Bureaucracies are often handy political targets to blame for society’s ills. • Yet, the same bureaucrats blamed for red tape have also accomplished some remarkable tasks: • NASA • TVA • National highway system 4

  5. BEST of the BUREAUCRACY STATE DEPARTMENT Travel Warnings Click image for homepage Click image http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

  6. BEST of the Bureaucracy FBI Click image for homepage

  7. The ABCD’S of Government An easy way to remember the bureaucracy Go to other ppt.

  8. Organization Matters ****Laws passed by Congress are implemented by the government’s bureaucracy • Bureaucracies play central role in today’s governments and society as a whole • Organization of a particular bureaucracy depends on its political demands and needs of its clients • Organization also affects a bureaucracy’s ability to accomplish its work

  9. The Development of the Bureaucratic State • Am. public concerned with size of bureaucracy • Government at all levels grow enormously during 20th century • Society increasingly more complex • Attitudes towards regulation of business and government’s role in social welfare changed • Ambitious bureaucrats have expanded organizations to add responsibilities

  10. Not So Big by Comparison • Compared with other Western democracies, U.S. government relatively small • Most of these countries offer more welfare and social service benefits to citizens • Taxes in these countries proportionately higher

  11. Can We Reduce the Size of Government? • Even incumbents “run against the government” • Many Americans lack confidence in government and believe it wastes money • Serious budget cuts require significant reductions in programs • Proposed reductions of specific programs face opposition and are politically risky March 1, 2013 Sequester cuts go into effect---outcome TBD

  12. Can We Reduce the Size of Government? • Debate on reductions in bureaucracy shaped by ideology and size of budget deficit • Reagan saw small government as enhancing personal freedom • Obama sees government as a way to promote equality and protect citizens • Not always good politics to downsize government • An upside to providing a benefit to citizens

  13. The Organization of Government • Bureaucracy in Washington actually a collection of smaller bureaucracies • Departments cover broad areas of government responsibility • Independent Agencies stand alone, some controlled by president and some self-governed regulatory commissions • Government Corporations perform services that could be provided by private sector but Congress believes should be done by government

  14. Figure 13.1Bureaucrats at Work

  15. The Civil Service • National bureaucracy almost 2.8 million civilian employees • Diverse jobs make up 2% of U.S. workforce • Senior Executive Service top level • Most hired under civil service • Pendleton Act (1883) designed to reduce patronage with merit hiring • Pay and benefits of federal jobs compare favorably with private sector

  16. Figure 13.2Diversity Lags

  17. Presidential Control over the Bureaucracy • Civil service and other reforms insulate government workers from party politics • Presidents appoint about 3,000 people to high-level positions over 7,000 support staff • Around 1,000 require Senate confirmation • Pluralism can pull agencies in directions contrary to president’s wishes

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