American Government

American Government Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy

What is Bureaucracy? • A large organization that is structured hierarchically to carry out specific functions • Negative connotation • Any large corporation or school has a bureaucracy, a number of offices and personnel who handle specific tasks to get everything done • Public (government) bureaucracies differ from private ones because they do not have a single set of leaders, must receive their funding from Congress, and are supposed to serve the citizenry

Bureaucracy • American bureaucracy is huge- it has to be to implement a budget of $3 trillion per year • Has greater freedom because it is so large (less oversight than in other countries) • Federally run with trickle down of funds to state level • Some administrative agencies in the bureaucracy regulate private companies (i.e. the Environmental Protection Agency)

Size of the Bureaucracy • Only 50 employees in 1789 • Now there are almost 3 million federal bureaucratic workers! • See Figure 12-1 on p 415 • True or false: there are more local government employees than federal and state combined • True!

Federal Bureaucracy • The executive branch employs the most people • Cabinet departments • Independent executive agencies • Independent regulatory agencies • Government corporations Each has a distinct relationship with the president, internal structures, overall goals, and grants of power

Cabinet • There are 15 Cabinet departments • See p 417 for a complete listing • Line organizations- the departments are directly accountable to the president and are responsible for carrying out government functions, i.e. printing money • Most recent department was Homeland Security, created in 2003 (has to be approved by Congress) • Each dept is headed by a secretary (i.e. Secretary of State) • President gets to appoint and fire all top officials in the Cabinet

Independent executive agencies • A federal agency that is not part of a cabinet department but reports directly to the president • A good example is the Smithsonian Institution • It runs the government’s museums and National Zoo • It does not really fit under any other department so it is labeled as an independent agency instead

Independent Regulatory Agencies • Agency outside the major executive departments tat is charged with making and implementing rules and regulations • Exert government control over business and industrial sectors • Example is the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) • In many ways, regulatory agencies are outside of the three branches of government • Designed to act in the public interest, they make rules that have the force of law, and they have the authority to back up those rules and decide disputes (i.e. legislative, executive, and judicial powers)

Government Corporations • An agency of the government that administers a quasi-business enterprise • No stocks are for sale in a government corporation although there are managers and a board of directors like in private corporations • US Postal Service is an example

Bureaucracy Staff • Political appointees: top bureaucratic jobs are by appointment • President gets final say in these appointments • Can’t just give the job to anyone; have to have the right qualifications and personal characteristics, party affiliations, and work experience • Some try to add women and minorities purposefully • Appointments have to be confirmed by the Senate • Mistakes can still be made: people not adequately qualified for the job (head of FEMA) or lying on resume (head of NASA)

Appointees usually only serve for a few years and then move on to another position • Civil servants are more permanent, not directly connected to the president and are not loyal to them • Civil servants are also hard to fire, because they can appeal the firing which takes months • Thus, the core of the bureaucracy remains the same over time regardless of which party is in power and who is in office • Office of Personnel Management oversees the hiring of government workers

Other factors • Privatization- the replacement of government services with services provided by private firms • Example: private companies operate the prisons • Controversial- lack of competitive bidding for contracts, private interests interfering the government, lack of government oversight • Role of the internet- less of a need to go into an office • Whistleblower- someone who publicly announces government inefficiency or corruption • Government employees not able to testify against the government- well, they can but they will lose their jobs and not be able to fight such a decision

Different roles of bureaucrats: • Rulemakers (i.e. the EPA implements new rules on water usage) • Policymakers (Once a bill is made into a law, it is often up to an agency to put it into effect) Iron triangle- 3-way alliance of legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests (Ex: Congressional committees on agriculture, the Department of Agriculture, and the Corn Grower’s Association all working together to make, pass, and enforce legislation regarding agriculture • Remember that Congress has “power of the purse” so they can regulate the bureaucracy by giving or denying money, can also express congressional disapproval though it is rare for them to do so

What do you think? • Is there too much bureaucracy? • Do you think it’s OK for government work to be contracted out to private firms? • Do you think civil servants have too much power? Should they be easier to replace? • Assignment: Investigate one department. What is their area of focus? What do they do? When were they established?

American Government