1. The Bureaucracy Chapter 15

3. What are examples of bureaucracy in your own life?

4. What is a Bureaucracy?
A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials.
The Bureaucracy puts policy through
Authority is divided among several managers
ex. of private: McDonald’s, MTV, Mission Hills high School, Catholic Church
Government agencies: The IRS, The DMV, The Post Office, San Marcos City Council

5. Three Features of a Bureaucracy
1) Hierarchical Authority- Pyramid with a chain of command running from the top to the bottom, with the most power at the top
2) Job Specialization- Each person, or bureaucrat, has certain defined duties and responsibilities
3) Formalized Rules- Set of established regulations and procedures
*Bureaucrats are unelected public policy makers

6. The Bureaucracy’s Character
Political authority over the bureaucracy is not in one set of hands- shared among several institutions
Most bureaucratic agencies share their responsibilities with local/state gov’t
Dep’t of Education gives money to local schools
Dep’t of Housing and Urban Development gives money to community development/improvement

7. The Growth of the Bureaucracy
Jefferson created state dept-
Dept heads/secretaries were to be approved by the senate
The dept head could then chose people to work for him that were not elected by the people or approved by the senate
In , new agencies were created to handle policy
Pension office
Independent regulatory commissions- created by Congress to regulate important aspects of the nation’s economy (SEC, The Fed, FTC)
Commissioners serve about 5-14 years – can be fired by President

9. The Federal Bureaucracy Today
No president wants to admit that he has increased the size of the bureaucracy (will state what they cut, rarely what they created)
Approx 3 million persons in these positions- but 13 million who work indirectly for these positions
I.e., federal employment has remained the same, employment among state and federal contractors/consultants has mushroomed
Growth: population, technology (FCC, FAA), intern’l crisis (War on Terror), responsibility of welfare of nation, agencies fight to survive (constituents)

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11. The Bureaucrats (what do you see?
Growth in Civilian Government Employees

12. Civil Service Replaces Patronage
Patronage: Job given for political reasons
Civil Service: System of hiring and promotion based on merit and nonpartisanship (1883- Pendleton Civil Service Act- assasination of President Garfield)
Merit Principle: Entrance exams and promotion ratings to find people with talent and skill
Office of Personnel Management (OPM): The federal office in charge of most of the government’s hiring (since 1979)

13. What power does it have?
Discretionary authority: The ability to make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws
The power of interpretation
The power of the bureaucracy should be measured by its discretionary power, not its size
Ex: OHSA work regulations, drafting legislation, advice to White House, settling disputes among agencies

14. The Bureaucrats Who They Are and How They Got There
Most demographically representative part of government
Diversity of jobs mirrors the private sector
Figure 15.2

15. Why is everyone so negative about it?
Slow, can be inefficient
Red tape
Lobbying
Revolving door- who do they really work for (future employers)
Iron triangle- the relationship between a committee, interest group, and agency.
Client groups- diary groups and Ag Dept)
Issue network- a network of people in DC that advocate policy
Think tanks
Interest groups
Universities
Mass media
Congressional staffs
Very difficult to fire a bureaucrat
Too centralized, excessive regulations

16. Figure 15.5

17. Good things about the Bureaucracy
Needed to enact policy
There are checks on the system
Congressional oversight, media (whistleblowers), courts, confirmations/nominations
Multiple minds = multiple ideas
Characteristic of life, not just government (more representative of American people)
Is controlled (Hatch Act (political activity), Freedom of Information Act (public scrutiny), hiring guidelines, size and appropriation available

18. Some thoughts to ponder
Laws of Bureaucracy
“When in doubt, mumble, when in trouble delegate, when in charge, ponder”
“Never do anything for the first time”
“Expenditures rise to meet income”
“Never blame your policies, blame the person before you”
“Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible”
“If it jams, force it. If it breaks it needed replacement anyway.”

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20. Wrapping it up Review the following Pork per Capita sheet
What does the sheet say about federal spending?
Why is this important to the states?
How is this spending even allowed?
Explain in as much detail within your group about what you have just reviewed.
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