The Bureaucrats

3. The Bureaucrats • A bureaucrat is someone who works for the government, carrying out policy. • Civil Servant: permanent employee of the government • Most demographically representative part of government. • Diversity of jobs mirrors the private sector. • President only appoints 3%

4. Who are the “Bureaucrats?” • 97% are career government employees • Only 10% live in the D.C. area • 30% work for the D.O.D. • Less than 15% work for social welfare agencies • Most are white collar workers: secretaries, clerks, lawyers, inspectors & engineers • Civil employees more diverse demographically than Congress

5. The Bureaucrats The Plum Book • Published by Congress. • Lists the very top jobs available for Presidential appointment. • Presidents work to find capable people to fill the positions. • Some plum jobs (ambassadorships) are patronage.

6. The Weberian Model • Hierarchical authority structure • Uses task specialization • Operate on the merit principle • Behave with impersonality • A well-organized machine with lots of working parts.

7. Four Categories of Bureaucracy • The Cabinet Departments • 15 Cabinet departments • 14 headed by a secretary • Department of Justice headed by Attorney General • Each has its own budget, staff and policy areas • Republicans have been trying to eliminate several departments

8. Four Categories of Bureaucracies Regulatory Agencies • Independent: Responsible for some sector of the economy making rules and judging disputes to protect the public interest. • Headed by a commission of 5-10 people. • Rule making is an important function watched by interest groups and citizens alike. • EPA, SEC

9. Four Categories of Bureaucracies • Government Corporations • Business like- provide a service like private companies and typically charges for its services • Postal Service, Amtrak are examples • Independent Executive Agencies • The agencies that don’t fit anywhere else • NASA is an example

10. Implementation • Translating the goals and objectives of a law passed by Congress into an operating, ongoing program. • It includes: • Creating / assigning an agency the policy • Turning policy into regulations. • Coordinating resources to achieve the goals. • Getting feedback and revising regulations.

11. Why Policies Succeed • A Case Study: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 • Had a clear, concise goal (increase registration and turnout rates among African Americans). • The implementation was clear (send Federal Marshals to the South). • Those carrying out the law had obvious authority and vigor to do so.

12. Criticism of Bureaucracy I. RED TAPE • too many rigid procedures • too many policies with no flexibility for special circumstances • too many forms to fill out, lines to wait II.INEFFICIENCY • lack of incentive to be productive III. DUPLICATION OF SERVICES • bureaucracy is so complicated • agencies are performing similar or sometimes the same functions (Dept. of Commerce overlaps with Dept. of Agriculture, GSA overlaps with Dept. of Interior, etc.) • federalism makes this more complicated--many services are provided at both the state and national levels.

13. Criticisms Continued IV. BUREAUCRACY IS LAW MAKER • regulations end up having the effect of law. • duty of implementing laws often allows bureaucrats to interpret those laws. V. BUREAUCRACY IS TOO BIG • privatization would be more effective VI. BUREAUCRACY MAY BE CORRUPT • iron triangle -the relationship between the Executive branch, Congress, and interest groups can lead to policy-making decisions which benefit private interests at the expense of the public good.

14. Understanding Bureaucracies • Bureaucracy and Democracy • Iron Triangles and Issue Networks • A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. • Exist independently of each other. • They are tough, but not impossible, to eliminate • Some argue they are being replaced by wider issue networks that focus on more policies.

15. Iron Triangle