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Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Government at Work: The Bureaucracy. What Is a Bureaucracy?. Hierarchical authority . Bureaucracies are based on a pyramid structure with a chain of command running from top to bottom. Bureaucracy 2.

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Chapter 9

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  1. Chapter 9 Government at Work: The Bureaucracy

  2. What Is a Bureaucracy? • Hierarchical authority. Bureaucracies are based on a pyramid structure with a chain of command running from top to bottom.

  3. Bureaucracy2 • Job specialization. Each bureaucrat, or person who works for the organization, has certain defined duties and responsibilities

  4. Bureaucracy3 • Formalized rules. The bureaucracy does its work according to a set of established regulations and procedures.

  5. Bureaucracy Characteristics • Chain of command from top to bottom. • Division of labor. • Clear lines of authority. • Goal orientation. • Merit system. • Productivity.

  6. The Federal Bureaucracy • The federal bureaucracy is all of the agencies, people, and procedures through which the Federal Government operates.

  7. Linkage • Federal agencies links together the 3 branches of government • Congress passes the laws but the agencies execute/implement the laws • Often called the “4th Branch” of government

  8. President & Administration • The President: chief administrator of the Federal Government. • Congress and the President created an administration—the government’s many administrators and agencies. • to enact and enforce policy • divided by specialization

  9. The Name Game • The name department is reserved for agencies of the Cabinet rank. • Otherwise, little standardization of names • Common titles include agency,administration, commission,corporation,and authority.

  10. Staff Agencies • Serve in a support capacity. • Aid the chief executive and other administrators by offering advice and other assistance in the management of the organization.

  11. Line Agencies • Perform tasks related to the reason for which the organization was created. • Congress and the President give the line agencies goals to accomplish, and staff agencies help the line agencies accomplish them.

  12. EOP • Executive Office of the President • President’s “right arm” • Established 1939 • FDR was President • Actually an umbrella agency

  13. EOP-The Umbrella • Council of Economic Advisers • Council on Environmental Quality • Domestic Policy Council • National Economic Council • National Security Council • Office of Administration • Office of Management and Budget • Office of National AIDS Policy • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Office of Science and Technology Policy • Office of the United States Trade Representative • President's Intelligence Advisory Board and Intelligence Oversight Board • Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board • White House Military Office • White House Office Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/

  14. Executive Departments • Cabinet level • 15 agencies • First Congress created 3 in 1789 • Department of State • Department of the Treasury • Department of War

  15. Oldest and Newest • 1789 – Department of State • 2002 – Department of Homeland Security

  16. Biggest • Health and Human Services has the largest budget • 25% of all federal spending • Defense has the greatest number of employees, followed closely by USPS http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy11/pdf/hist.pdf http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm

  17. The Cabinet’s Role • Informal advisory board for the President • Each cabinet member is administrative head of an executive department.

  18. In the beginning… • 1789: 4 executive posts • Secretary of State (Jefferson) • Secretary of Treasury (Hamilton) • Secretary of War (Henry Knox) • Attorney General (Edmund Randolph)

  19. In Reality… • Depends on the President • Andrew Jackson used his “kitchen cabinet” • John Kennedy said cabinet meetings were “a waste of time.” • FDR had a “brain trust” • Harry Truman had “cronies”

  20. President Obama’s Cabinet • Hillary Clinton: State • Timothy Geithner: Treasury • Robert Gates: Defense • Eric Holder: Justice • Kenneth Salazar: Interior • Thomas Vilsack: Agriculture • Gary Locke: Commerce • Hilda Solis: Labor

  21. President Obama’s Cabinet2 • Kathleen Sebelius: HHS • Shaun Donovan: HUD • Ray LaHood: Transportation • Steven Chu: Energy • Arne Duncan: Education • Eric Shinseki: Veterans Affairs • Janet Napolitano: Homeland Security Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet/

  22. The Executive Branch  Source: Sabato

  23. President Obama’s Cabinet2 http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet/

  24. Independent Agencies • Do not have cabinet status • Some are big • GSA, NASA, EPA • Some are small • American Battle Monuments Commission, Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, Migratory Bird Conservation Commission

  25. Independent Regulatory Commissions • Beyond reach of presidential direction • 10 agencies • Regulate or “police” important aspects of the nation’s business community.

  26. Independent Regulatory Commissions2 • Quasi-legislative • Quasi-judicial • Issue rules and regulations • Decide disputes with administrative judges • In effect, act in place of Congress • Possess all three basic gov't powers

  27. History of Regulatory Agencies • First regulatory agency was Interstate Commerce Commission • Recently, “regulation” has been re-thought as restraint of free market forces

  28. Contemporary Questions • Have “special interest groups” gained too much influence thus limiting regulation? • Are all the detailed rules and regulations really needed? • Does regulation increase costs?

  29. Gov’t Corporations • Set up by Congress to do business-like activities • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation • Export-Import Bank of the United States • US Postal Service • Railroad Passenger Corp (AMTRAK) • Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp • Tennessee Valley Authority

  30. Gov’t Corporations2 • Board of Directors and a general manager • Make income which is reinvested (plowed back) into the business • Employees are public employees • Financed by federal government

  31. The Civil Service • Civilian (non-military) employees who do work of the government. • Over 2.0 million employees (not including Postal Service)* • About 300,000 employees located in DC area. • Only vaguely mentioned in Article 2, Section 2 of Constitution. * Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm

  32. The Spoils System • Started with President Andrew Jackson’s “revolving door” • “To the victors go the spoils.” • Patronage: awarding supporters and friends with government jobs.

  33. Civil Service Reform • Followed President Garfield’s assassination (1881) • Civil Service Act of 1883 • aka The Pendleton Act • Employees to be hired based on merit after passing an entrance examination • Established independent agency: Civil Service Commission

  34. OPM • Office of Personnel Management • What used to be the Civil Service Commission • Independent Executive Agency • “Personnel Office” for the federal government • Recruiting, examining, retirement, health insurance, etc.

  35. Merit System Protection Board • Enforces “merit principle” in federal agencies • Governing board is bipartisan • Hears appeals from federal workers with complaints about actions taken in their own agencies. • i.e., demotion, firing, pay issues

  36. Non-Partisan • Neutral regarding “party” politics • Hatch Act of 1939 • Forbid federal employees to participate in political activities • Federal Employees Political Activities Act of 1993 • Relaxed many previous limitations

  37. FEPA

  38. Today’s Federal Bureaucracy

  39. Making Policy • Administrative discretion allows a lot of latitude. • Rule-making is a quasi-legislative process. • Formal procedure for making regulations. • Administrative adjudication is quasi-judicial process. • Used to settle disputes between two parties.

  40. Rulemaking

  41. Agency Accountability • Unclear who agencies should be accountable to. • Presidents try to make the right appointments. • Can also shape policy through executive orders. • Congress can use oversight powers and funding. • Judiciary can review regulations.

  42. Agency Accountability

  43. Growth of Federal Government

  44. Civilian Employment

  45. Federal Employee Characteristics

  46. Agency Regions

  47. Old Agencies don’t die… • …they take on a life of their own. • Iron Triangle: Relatively stable relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. • Issue Network: The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas. (Definitions from Sabato.)

  48. ITs vs. INs • Players with “vested interests” prolong agencies, programs, etc. because that’s their passion. • Iron Triangles less prevalent today. • Dept of Veterans Affairs, American Legion & Veterans of Foreign Wars, House Committee on Veterans Affairs • Issue Networks are similar to ITs, but also include lawyers, consultants, academics, public relations groups, even sometimes the courts. • Constantly changing memberships

  49. Interagency Councils • Contemporary public policy issues are extremely complex • Frequently several agencies have responsibilities for some aspect of an issue • Form Policy Coordinating Committees (PCCs) to facilitate interaction at the sub-cabinet level

  50. An Iron Triangle

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