The Federal Bureaucracy!

1. The Federal Bureaucracy! Chapter 15 Unit 4

2. I. What is a Bureaucracy? • Defined: A complex web of federal agencies w/overlapping jurisdiction • Perception: wasteful, confusing, & rigid (big government) • Reality: most very satisfied with many aspects of government services, most problems caused by: congress, court and president as they keep tweaking it!

3. II. The Growth of Bureaucracy • Constitution: made no mention of it! • So, who controls it? • The President: appoints heads of executive agencies, nominates cabinet secretaries, subject to Senate confirmation • Congress: has right to appropriate money, investigate, and shape laws they administer • The appointment process has changed over time: • Appointments important due to interpretation of the law, tone and effectiveness of their administration • Patronage dominated appointments in the 1800 to mid 1900s • Pendleton Act of 1883: began a slow & steady transfer of federal jobs from patronage to the merit system • After Civil War, industrialization & the emergence of a national economy necessitated federal regulations of interstate commerce, leading to growth of government agencies

4. II. The Growth cont… • The great Depression & World War II led to increased government activism • Agencies took on a heightened regulatory role • Supreme Court upheld laws that granted discretion to administrative agencies • The income tax (16th amendment) had been passed earlier to pay for it all • Public became convinced that military expansion, and ongoing social programs were interest of nation, and this still goes on today

5. III. Activities of Agencies • Since 1960s, only a modest increase in # of Fed. Govt employees, however significant increase in: • # of privately contracted employees • State & local government employees • Growth of discretionary authority: ability of agencies to choose courses of action & to make policies not set out in statutory law • Congress has delegated substantial authority to administrative agencies in three areas: • Paying subsidies to particular groups & organizations in society (ex. Farmers, veterans, scientists, schools, universities, hospitals) • Transferring money from the federal government to state & local governments through grants • Devising & enforcing regulations for various sectors of society, particularly the economy, schools, health care, roads & telecommunications

6. IV. Bureaucrats! • Who are they? Employees of agencies or bureaus, distinct from elected officials • Authority: discretionary although supposed to be given only to elected officials, this insulates them from being fired for political purposes • Also, why they engage in seemingly redundant procedures and rules • This allows policies made at the top are carried out throughout the organization & that every citizen is treated the same way

7. IV. Bureaucrats cont… • The activities & powers of various agencies have tremendous impact on public policy, so understanding who runs & works in those agencies is important: • 1. Recruitment & retention: • The federal Civil Service System hires on basis of merit and promotes on basis of performance • Two types of bureaucrats; • A. competitive services: appointed only after they have passed a written examination • B. Expected services: hired without exam in non-partisan fashion • Very difficult to be fired as a bureaucrat, most suffer informal methods of discipline • When they are fired, the process of dismissal can take over a year • 2. Personal & professional attributes: • Profile of a bureaucrat: a cross section of American society in terms of education, sex, race, & social origins • However, like most of our society, minority over represented in lowest grade levels and underrepresented in executive levels • Civil Service system less discriminatory than private business, however at higher levels still mainly white male, college educated & bit ore advantaged than others • Civil servants generally more pro-government than average, but less extreme also

8. V. Bureaucrats cont… • 3. The nature of their jobs: • Career bureaucrats differ politically from their supervisors & the political appointees who head their agencies, however, most carry out policy, even those they disagree with • Whistle-blower: legislation which protects them from punitive actions by supervisors for reporting waste, fraud or abuse in their agencies • Moreover, most of their jobs are so highly structured that makes their personal attitudes irrelevant • Within each agency there is a culture & informal understanding among employees about how they are supposed to act • This culture can motivate employees, but can also make agencies resistant to change

9. V. Bureaucrat cont… • 4. Involvement in Iron Triangles & issue networks: • Agencies use their position to form useful power relationships with congressional committees or an interest group; this is known as Iron Triangle (ex. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, the House & Senate Committee on Veteran affairs & veterans organization such as American Legion) • Purpose: to serve the self-interest of all three groups • However, Iron Triangle far less common today due to complicated politics, and much more powerful actors today, more like: • Issue networks: involving interchanges among agencies, congress, lobbyists, think tanks, academia, & corporations, media

10. VI. Congressional Oversight • A prime example of Checks & balances! • Congressional supervision takes several forms: 1. No agency can exist w/out congressional approval, & congress influences agency behavior by statutes it enacts 2. No money by agency had/spent until congress has authorized it: • Authorization legislation starts in a congressional committee & states maximum amount of $ that an agency can spend on a given program • This could be permanent or renewed every year 3. Funds that have been authorized must also be appropriated through the house Appropriations Committee & its various subcommittees • House Appropriations Com. Has special power over agencies: • Can lower amount than what was requested, or revise or amend!Which can have the effect of strong congressional influence on public policy • This makes this committee single most powerful influence on agency spending & policy

11. VI. Congressional oversight cont… • Congress can also investigate agencies by holding hearings • It is an implied power of congress, but Sup. Ct. has backed it when challenged by those being investigated • Investigations are used as a means for checking agency discretion & also for authorizing agency actions independent of presidential preferences

12. VII. Reforming Bureaucracy • 5 frequently mentioned problems with the Bureaucracy: • 1. Red Tape: too many complex rules & procedures must be followed to get something done; reality: obligation of bureaucrats to execute policy in accord with rules set by elected officials & political appointees • 2. Conflict: some agencies seem to be working at cross purposes with other agencies; reality: due to congress wanting to achieve a # of different, partially inconsistent goals; or cannot decide which goal it values most • 3. Duplication: two government agencies seem to be doing the same thing; reality: same as conflict • 4. Imperialism: agencies tend to grow without regard to the benefits that their programs confer or the costs that they entail • 5. Waste: agencies spend more than is necessary to buy some products & services; reality: same as red tape • Although these problems do exist, they are overstated & have logical origins in the Constitution & the policy making process!

13. VII. Reforming Bureaucracy cont… • Bureaucratic reform always hard to accomplish due to: • Struggles between president & congress which can lead to red tape and more rules • Periods of divided government can make matters worse, which makes reform not impossible, but just difficult • However, despite these efforts, the American Bureaucracy remains a huge, complex, and powerful part of the federal government • Its role in implementing and defining public policy is of extreme importance!