The Bureaucracy - American Politics Today

The Bureaucracy What’s with all the red tape? Objectives: - Define bureaucracy and explain its major functions Trace the expansion of the federal bureaucracy over time Describe the size and structure of the executive branch today Describe who bureaucrats are and the regulations that govern their employment Explain how congress and the president oversee the executive branch 1. What is the federal bureaucracy? - Bureaucracy is the system of civil servants and political appointees who implement congressional or presidential decisions; also known as the administrative state Civil servants are employees of bureaucratic agencies within the government Political appointees are people selected by an elected leader, such as the president, to hold a government position. A regulation is a rule that allows the government to exercise control over individuals and corporations by restricting certain behaviors. Notice-and-comment procedure is a step in the rule-making process in which proposed rules are published in the federal register and made available for debate by the general public. 2. Bureaucratic expertise and its consequences - State capacity is the knowledge, personnel, and institutions that the government requires to effectively implement policies Problem of control is a difficulty faced by elected officials in ensuring that when bureaucrats implement policies they follow these officials’ intentions but still have enough discretion to use their expertise. - - Principal agent game is the interaction between a principal (such as president or congress) who needs something done, and an agent (such as a bureaucrat), who is responsible for carrying out the principal’s order. Regulatory capture is a situation in which bureaucrats favor the interests of the groups or corporation they are supposed to regulate at the expense of the general public. Red tape is excessive or unnecessarily complex regulations imposed by the bureaucracy. Standard operating procedures are rules that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies. 3. How has the American bureaucracy grown? - The election of Andrew Jackson brought on the first spoiling of people in the campaign getting positions appointed by the president. The New Deal brough on by FDR increased government run programs by a significant amount. This brought on a ton of new positions to be filled by bureaucrat Federal civil service is a system created by the 1883 pendleton civil service act in which bureaucrats are hired on the basis of merit rather than political connections. The great society was series of federal programs enacted by Lyndon Johnson that expanded bureaucracy in D.C. Reagan as well as a republican congress and senate gave the right a chance to cut down the expanse of the federal government. 4. The modern federal bureaucracy - - The office of management and budget is an office with the EOP that is responsible for creating the president’s annual budget proposal to congress, reviewing proposed rules, and performing other budget-related tasks. Independent agencies are government offices or organizations that provide government services and are not part of an executive department. Budget maximizers are bureaucrats that seek to increase funding for their agency whether or not that additional spending is worthwhile. Federal spending increases can sometimes be because agencies have seen their budget cut Spending when in the context of health and defense are typically more popular among the public. The federal government employs millions of people and spending can lead to excessive pay or cuts to certain employees. 5. The human face of bureaucracy - Bureaucrat applies to a wide swath of people and employees. Some argue that bureaucrats deserve pay raises for their hard work Other argue that they should work hard because it is the right thing to do for the right cause and can obtain higher positions through merit. Most jobs in federal bureaucracy are subject to civil service regulations 6. Limits on political activity - Legislation puts limits on the political activities that federal employees can undertake The hatch act in 1939 prohibited federal employees from engaging in certain political activities. The restrictions were modified in 1993 with the federal employees political activities act Senior members of the president’s staff and political appointees are typically exempt from these regulations These restrictions have pros and cons and can hinder a federal employees ability help in reelection 7. Political appointees and the senior executive service - Not every federal employee is a civil servant Heads of executive departments and independent agencies like NASA are not subject to civil servant regulations. Turkey farms are agencies to which campaign workers and donors can be appointed in reward for their service because it is unlikely that their lack of qualifications will lead to bad policy. 8. Controlling the bureaucracy - Bureaucracies can be hard for the president or government to control One way they are controlled is by giving them direct orders These orders are usually in tandem with the president’s agenda. Limiting them can have negatives A negative would be that it limits the positive influence their expertise could have. Bureaucratic drift is a bureaucrat’s tendency to implement policies in a way that favors their own political objectives rather than following the original intentions of the legislation. 9. Agency organization - Over the last 20 years, political scientists have show how agencies can be organized to prevent bureaucratic drift. One way this is done is by making sure the agency is structured and located in the appropriate sector of government This has shown to make the bureaucracy more efficient and stay on track of the legislation 10. Monitoring - - Oversight is congressional efforts to make sure that laws are implemented correctly by the bureaucracy after they have been passed. Police patrol oversight is a method of oversight in which members of congress constantly monitor the bureaucracy to make sure that laws are implemented correctly. Fire alarm oversight is a method of oversight in which members of congress respond to complaints about the bureaucracy or problems of implementation only as they arise rather than exercising constant vigilance. Trying to control bureaucracies too much constantly can lead to dysfunction in the government and the agency. Questions 1. A government rule that affects the choices that individuals or corporations make is called ______: regulation 2. One of the reasons bureaucrats respond to pressure from elected officials is that_____: bureaucrats need congressional support to get larger budgets 3. In the problem of control, the ____ is the principal and the ____ is the agent: president; bureaucracy 4. ______ occurs when bureaucrats cater to a small group of individuals regardless of the impact of these actions on the public welfare: regulatory capture 5. How did the bureaucracy change during the progressive era? It increased the government’s regulatory activity. 6. The civil service reforms of the progressive era ______ the spoils system and____ the power of party organization: instituted; increased 7. How has the bureaucracy changed since the Reagan revolution? Size of the federal government shrank 8. What is the job of the office of management and budget? To prepare the president’s annual budget proposal for congress 9. Independent agencies have ______ freedom from oversight that executive departments do and _____ be controlled by the president through his appointees: more;can 10. The federal budget is growing in size because______: bureaucrats are budget maximizers 11. Compared with employees in private business, government employees are motivated ______ by salary and benefits that/as by the chance to make a difference: less 12. The civil service regulations _______ the flexibility that managers have in their hiring decisions and _____ the influence of elected officials: decrease;increase 13. When bureaucrats pursue their own goals rather than their assignments from officeholders, this is called ______: bureaucratic drift 14. Giving direct orders to bureaucrats ______ the influence of their policy expertise and ______ the potential to respond to unforeseen circumstances: limits; reduces 15. While police patrol oversight has the advantage of being ______, it has the drawback of being______: responsive; umpopular