1. Bureaucracy

2. Learning Objectives: Bureaucracy
Defining Bureaucracy
Historical Development of the Bureaucracy
Politics vs. Administration
The President is not their boss…
Political Control of the Bureaucracy
Departments, Agencies, and Government Corporations
How the Texas “fractured” Executive impacts the state bureaucracy

3. Key Terms: Bureaucracy
Hatch Act 1937
Administrative Procedures Act 1947
Neutral Competence
Reinventing Government
Quasi-Judicial Power
Regulatory/Policing Power
Civil Service Reform Act 1978
Senior Executive Service (SES)
Office of Personnel Management
Collective Bargaining
Affirmative Action
Independent Regulatory Agencies
Government Corporations
Rule-Making
Spoils System
Merit
Bureaucrats
Whig Theory
Garfield Assassination
Civil Service
Pendleton Act of 1883
Politics-Administration Dichotomy
Devolution
Privatization
Glass Ceiling
Cabinet Departments
Independent Agencies
Adjudication
Administrative Discretion

4. The Bureaucracy What is Bureaucracy?
A complex, hierarchically arranged organization composed of many small subdivisions with specialized functions
Bureaucracy means “rule by officialdom”
Bureaucracy is complex
Bureaucracy is hierarchical

5. The Bureaucracy Five Functions of Bureaucrats Implement the law
Provide expertise
Provide research and information to the President
Provide research and information to Congress
Quasi-judicial powers and responsibilities

6. The Bureaucracy A few myths about Bureaucrats
They’re appointed by the President and can be fired by the President
Only about 9,000 out of 3,000,000 civilians employees of the Federal Government are appointed by the president
Of those, only about 3,000 – 5,000 could conceivably be fired by the President (unless they massively violate the conditions of employment – PATCO strike of August 1981)

7. The Bureaucracy A few more myths about Bureaucrats…
They’re paper-pushers
Only about a half million government employees have characteristically bureaucratic positions such as clerk or general administrator
The government employs about 147,00 engineers and architects, 84,000 scientists, and 2,400 veterinarians
They work in Washington DC
Only about 10% of government civilian employees work in Washington D.C
Most work in the federal government
About 22% of government employees work for the federal government

8. The Bureaucracy History of the Bureaucracy
The Whig Theory (1780s – 1828)
The idea that public service was domain of an elite class.
Families had a tradition of public service.
The Spoils System (1828 – 1883)
Andrew Jackson used government jobs or “patronage” to reward supporters and to remove elitists from the bureaucracy

9. The Bureaucracy History of the Bureaucracy
The Civil Service System (1883 – Present)
Garfield’s Assassination 1881
The Pendleton Act (Civil Service Reform Act of 1883) established the principle of employment on the basis of merit and created the Civil Service System to oversee the hiring and firing of government employees
Professor Max Weber’s ideas (1870s)
Professor Woodrow Wilson’s ideas (1880s)
The Progressive Era and Bureaucratic Reform
Calls for “neutral” competence and expertise

10. The Bureaucracy History of the Bureaucracy
The Civil Service System (1883 – Present)
New Deal reforms
The federal bureaucracy grew tremendously
FDR and political control issues
Hatch Act of 1937
Post WWII and beyond
The need for technological expertise
The need for control
The “thickening” of government

11. The Bureaucracy History of the Bureaucracy
The Civil Service System (1883 – Present)
Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
Jimmy Carter’s “Greatest Domestic Policy Achievement”
Created the Office of Personnel Management
Revised and expanded the Grade (“GS”) system
Created the Senior Executive Service

12. The Bureaucracy Issues for bureaucracy today:
Diversity and ”Glass Ceiling” Issues
Technological Competence
Privatization
“Devolution”
“Re-inventing Government”

13. The Bureaucracy Which branch controls the bureaucracy?
The Executive branch with chief executive?
The Legislative branch with the budget?
The Judicial branch with the judges/justices that interpret the Constitution?
Answer: All and None…

14. The Bureaucracy Political Control of the Bureaucracy
Congressional mechanisms
Power of the purse
Revision of empowering or limiting statutes
Senate approval of certain appointees
Threats of hearings and investigations
The power to create or destroy agencies
Presidential mechanisms
Appointment power
Budget proposal
Reorganization of bureaucratic structure
Executive orders
Judicial mechanisms
Judicial Review

15. The Bureaucracy The Shape of the Federal Bureaucracy
Cabinet Departments
Independent Agencies
Independent Regulatory Agencies/Commissions
Government Corporations
Major operating departments of government headed by the “Secretary of...” except Justice, which is headed by the Attorney General

16. The Bureaucracy The Executive Branch Departments in order of creation:
State (1789)
Defense (1789)
Treasury (1789)
Justice (1789)
Interior (1849)
Agriculture (1862)
Commerce (1913)
Labor (1913)
Health & Human Services (1953)
Housing and Urban Development (1965)
Transportation (1966)
Energy (1977)
Education (1979)
Veterans’ Affairs (1988)
Homeland Security (2002)

17. The Bureaucracy Independent Agencies Some are housed in departments
Administered by a presidential appointee with no fixed term
Responsible for narrower set of functions than department
Some are housed in departments
Social Security Administration is part of HHS, Coast Guard is part of Transportation
Others are independent of any department
Examples include The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

18. The Bureaucracy Independent Regulatory Agencies and Commissions
Independent of any department or agency
Each headed by a group of commissioners who are appointed by president to fixed terms and not subject to removal by president
Example include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Communication Commission (FCC)

19. The Bureaucracy What Government Agencies and Commissions Do:
Agency investigations
Rule making
Adjudication
Informal actions

20. The Bureaucracy Government Corporations
Permits organizations to use businesslike method and remain politically independent
Run by boards of directors appointed by President to long terms
Examples include the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Student Loan Management Authority (SallieMae) and the U.S. Postal Service

21. The Bureaucracy Reasons for the growth of Federal Bureaucracy
We have over 3 million federal bureaucrats paid for by the taxpayers
Issues and problems require more expertise today because society and technology is so complex
The size of our nation in both geographic size and population leads to more bureaucrats
Americans demand more services from their government, requiring the use of more people to provide those government services

22. The Bureaucracy Bad Things That Bureaucrats Do…
Bureaucracies will try to expand authority
Bureaucracies will try to develop political constituencies
Bureaucracies will fight over jurisdiction
The “spend it or lose it” mentality
Bureaucracies will expand their internal work
Bureaucracies will become paternalistic and aloof
“The Peter Principle” – incompetence always rises to the top…
Who’s to blame when there’s a problem?

23. Texas Bureaucracy Appointed Boards and Commissions
Administrative Departments
Responsible for implementing policies:
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
General Land Office
Texas Department of Agriculture
Lottery Commission
Texas Department of Transportation

24. Texas Bureaucracy Appointed Boards and Commissions
College and University Boards of Regents (e.g., UT, A&M, etc.)
Nine members serve six-year overlapping terms
Licensing Boards (e.g., Nursing, Cosmetology)
Licenses various professions
Regulatory Boards (e.g., PUC, TEQC)
Regulates various industries
Set rules for operations pursuant to laws
Social Service Agencies (e.g., CPS, Texas Employment Commission)
Promotion of certain social groups
Promotional and Preservation Agencies (e.g., Texas Historical Society)
Provides economic development or preserves the state’s historical heritage

25. Texas Bureaucracy Administrative Politics - The Legislature
All state agencies that are not established by the Constitution are creations of the legislature
Sweeping legislative power
The difficulty of vigorous oversight
Oversight mechanisms
Sunset review
Legislative Budget Board 

26. Texas Bureaucracy Administrative Politics - The Governor
Appointment power
Far reaching but limited
Budget power
The line-item veto
 Administrative Politics - Interest Groups
Every program and the agencies that administer them have several interest groups
Rallying support
 Administrative Politics – Bureaucrats
Bureaucrats have particular goals

27. Review Questions
What was the Spoils System? Why was it so detrimental to government?
What was the Pendleton Act? What was the Hatch Act? How do these two acts impact the federal bureaucracy?
What is the difference between a cabinet department, an independent agency, a independent regulatory agency, and a government corporation?
What was the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978? Why Did President Carter think it was so important?
What is Reinventing Government?

28. Discussion Questions
Why was Garfield’s Assassination so important in understanding the reform of the Federal bureaucracy?
What were the political implications of removing bureaucrats from politics? Should we be concerned about the partisan politics of the folks in the Driver’s License office?
What exactly is Reinventing Government? What were the accomplishments of the Vice President Gore’s National Performance Review?
What impact do issues like diversity, affirmative action, and the glass ceiling have on making bureaucracy at all levels reflect the face of America?
Do regulatory agencies have too much power? Consider the curious case of Martha Stewart…