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The Bureaucracy

The Bureaucracy. What is the federal bureaucracy?. A large organization composed of appointed officials whose authority is divided among several managers. What are some characteristics of a bureaucracy?. Hierarchical structure Specialization Consistent, abstract rules Impersonality

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The Bureaucracy

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  1. The Bureaucracy

  2. What is the federal bureaucracy? • A large organization composed of appointed officials whose authority is divided among several managers.

  3. What are some characteristics of a bureaucracy? • Hierarchical structure • Specialization • Consistent, abstract rules • Impersonality • Career system • Specific goals

  4. What is the federal bureaucracy? • A large organization composed of appointed officials whose authority is divided among several managers. • Bureaucratic departments make up the executive branch • Executive Departments execute laws • Executive Departments are created by Congress

  5. 19th century Cabinet Departments • 1789: State, Treasury, War • 1798: Navy • 1849: Interior • 1870: Justice • 1872: Post Office • 1889: Agriculture • 1903: Commerce and Labor • (split in 1913 into Commerce Dept. and Labor Dept.)

  6. 20thCentury Cabinet Depts. • 1947: Defense (from War) • 1953: Health, Education & Welfare • (split into HHS and Education in 1973) • 1965: Housing and Urban Development • 1966: Transportation • 1977: Energy • 1979: Education • 1989: Veterans’ Affairs • 2003: Homeland Security

  7. Inside Departments are Agencies.Some Agencies in the Homeland Security Department • Agricultural Import and Entry Inspection Activities • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) • Transportation Security Administration • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services • U.S. Coast Guard • U.S. Customs and Border Protection • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement • U.S. Secret Service • Congress creates agencies and says how they fit into the bureaucracy • Congress decides how much money they have to spend each year

  8. What do “bureaucrats” do to “execute the law”? • Depends on the agency! • Food Inspection Service (FDA) • Bureau of Labor Statistics • FBI • Most civilian federal employees are in the “Civil Service”

  9. How do bureaucrats make policy? • Congress tells them to

  10. How do bureaucrats make policy? Example: Meat inspection: • For the purpose of preventing the use in commerce of meat and meat food products which are adulterated, the Secretary shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of all cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines before they shall be allowed to enter into any slaughtering, packing, meat-canning, rendering, or similar establishment, in which they are to be slaughtered and the meat and meat food products thereof are to be used in commerce; and all cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines found on such inspection to show symptoms of diseaseshall be set apart and slaughtered separately from all other cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, and when so slaughtered the carcasses of said cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines shall be subject to a careful examination and inspection, all as provided by the rules and regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary, as provided for in this subchapter. • Federal Meat Inspection Act, Title 21 - Food and Drugs, Chapter 12 - Meat Inspection, SUBCHAPTER I - INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING

  11. How do bureaucrats make policy? • Congress tells them to • Executive departments need more specific instructions: • For employees • For private entities • So bureaucrats issue statements of policy and Regulations

  12. Democratic control? • What are the mechanisms for democratic control of the bureaucracy? • Congress: lawmaking • Congress: oversight • Congress: budget • President: budget • President: regulatory review

  13. Some agencies are insulated from democratic control • Independent agencies & regulatory commissions • Peace Corps • The Federal Reserve Board • National Transportation Safety Board • Nuclear Regulatory Commission • See box 8.4 in text • What makes them insulated? • Why are they insulated?

  14. “Red Tape” • What do we complain about when we complain about red tape? • Too many constraints • Pointless constraints • Constraints slow us down

  15. Why do we have red tape? • Protecting people from each other • Alleviating distress • Forestalling systematic disruptions • Representative process • Due process • Can anything really be done about red tape?

  16. Should elected officials or neutral experts make policy on: • How to balance forest health against public use? • Whether to make “the morning after” pill available over the counter? • Whether global warming is a real phenomenon?

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