The Federal Bureaucracy

1. The Federal Bureaucracy

2. I. Background • Federal Bureaucracy & Bureaucrats: millions of civilian employees that run the executive agencies that implement policies (laws) authorized by the President and Congress • Reflection of society- large complex organizations that run society: public schools, businesses, local & state governments, etc. • Heads of agencies: most appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate

4. II. How did Federal Bureaucracy grow? • Role of gov’t (federal especially) expanded in the 20th century • Fed. Gov’t became more involved in everyday life; especially after WWII • Regulating abuses of private power= example: Interstate Commerce Commission protects rural communities from high railroad rates

5. II. How did Federal Bureaucracy grow? • Protecting Health & Safety • Example: Food & Drug Administration (FDA), protects public from buying bad food and dangerous drugs • Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) established rules for the workplace in an effort to reduce accidents and illnesses • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prevents industries from dumping pollutants into the air and water • More laws=> more bureaucracy

6. The Expansion of the Federal Civil Employment

7. III. Types of Agencies • Cabinet Departments: 15 major administrative units responsible for conducting broad areas of government operations, accounts for 60% of the federal workforce • Independent Regulatory Commissions: serve outside executive departments to regulate a specific economic activity or interest. Usually headed by a board. Examples: SEC, the Fed

8. III. Types of Agencies 3. Independent Executive Agencies: closely resemble cabinet agencies but a more narrow scope of responsibilities; usually perform services rather than regulates. Heads appointed by the President. Example: EPA, NASA, CIA 4. Government Corporations: operates much like a private business. Examples: U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak

9. IV. Principles of Bureaucratic Organization • Hierarchy: at each level of an organization higher level superiors coordinate & monitor activities of many subordinate employees. Often several units report to one superior; this makes it possible to pull together the efforts of 1,000s of employees toward a common purpose • Specialization: complex organizations are efficient because each employee specializes in rather narrowly defined activities (i.e. separate divisions & departments) • Formal Rules: needed for hiring employees to ensure every position is filled with a qualified person.

10. V. Hiring in the Federal Work Force • 1820s: Spoils System in its creation or at least began to be used heavily in the Jackson era. Political connections outrank qualifications. • 1880s: Civil Service Commission established by Pendleton Act (1883) • Defined appropriate qualifications for job • Rank-ordered all civil service jobs according to level of difficulty (reflective in salary) • Developed dismissal procedures • Setting up performance evaluations

11. V. Hiring in the Federal Work Force • 1960s: Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action established by Civil Rights Act of 1964: policy of the U.S. to ensure equal opportunities for all employees regardless of race, religion, and gender. Hoped to integrate heavily dominated agencies by white males with women & minorities

12. V. Hiring in the Federal Work Force • 1970s: Civil Service Reform Act (1978) • Replaced the Civil Service Commission with the Office of Personnel Management • Increased dismissal possibilities of incompetent workers and increased promotions of effective ones • Established Senior Executive Service- created a core of top level managers with bonus possibilities based on performance => merit system, with board to review and protect workers rights

13. VI. What Motivates Bureaucrats? • Public Interest • Political neutral bureaucrats seek to serve the public good with their resources (public servant) • To help ensure this there have been some limits put on bureaucrats • Hatch Act (1939) amended in 1993- no political partisan activity (except voting in primaries and contributions); federal workers cannot strike • Cost-Benefit Factor- service provided by the agency should be of greater value than the cost of resources to provide it (value greater than costs? Always the question for regulatory agencies)

14. VI. What Motivates Bureaucrats? • Self Interest: individual bureaucrats and agencies are motivated primarily by the desire for personal and organizational success-- income, status, power within agency, expansion of agency (which usually means more $)

15. VI. What Motivates Bureaucrats? • Political Response • Bureaucrats’ decisions are reactions to the political pressures of interest groups, public, elected politicians, political regulators • Issue nets-- conflicts between competing interests-- a bureaucrats job is to make and implement policy and to reconcile both sides. Ex: Automakers vs. EPA fighting over rules/regulations on air pollution

16. VI. What Motivates Bureaucrats? • Policy/Iron triangles • A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies (who implement legislation), interest groups (who press the issues to get legislation passed), and congressional committees (who pass laws and appropriate the funds • Issue Networks: individuals in Washington-- located within interest groups, Congressional staff, think tanks, universities, and the media-- who regularly discuss and advocate public policies. Unlike Iron Triangles, issue networks continually form and disband according to the policy issues

17. An Iron Triangle Example

18. VII. Criticisms of Bureaucracy • Inefficiency and Low Productivity • Some free-riding bureaucrats who don’t do a lot, rely on others, but are paid the same • Need to be monitored a lot, but it is costly and takes administrators (superiors) away from policy making • Federalism issue-- there are millions of employees!

19. VII. Criticisms of Bureaucracy • Example: No Child Left Behind (2002)- Government Accountability Office reported in 2004 that the law had been poorly implemented. States complained that the U.S. Department of Education failed to provide appropriate guidelines • Example: Transportation Security Administration (TSA)- Created in Nov. 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. Agency was plagued with problems of theft and poorly-conducted background checks of employees

20. VII. Criticisms of Bureaucracy • Are Departments too big to be effective? • Example: Our newest Department- The Department of Homeland Security absorbed • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) • Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) • Coast Guard • Secret Service

21. VII. Criticisms of Bureaucracy • Red Tape • Large bureaucracies/organizations are so complex, with rules, procedures, and tons of paperwork-- waste and time consuming • Turfing • Agencies often overlap with duties, control, and responsibilities- they need to work together and not get protective of their agency

22. VIII. Advantages of Bureaucracy • Bureaucracies are created and evolve as a means to undertake the purposes and responsibilities of organizations. • They provide • Standardization • Expertise and Competence • Accountability • Coordination