1. Bureaucracy Unit IV Module 4 AP Gov

2. Objectives By the end of this module, SWBAT – Describe and explain the four different types of bureaucracy and give an example of each – Explain the rise of bureaucracy in the modern political era – List and explain the checks and balances that the other branches have on bureaucrats, as well as the manner in which bureaucrats check other branches of government – Describe the bureaucratic dysfunctions and how they relate to interactions with constituents and interest groups

3. SLOs Life long learning and social responsibility Bureaucrats are on the “front lines” Most instances in which you interact with law or policy, you do so via a bureaucratic agency Understanding how it operates is vital to being a productive adult member of any industrialized society

4. What is a Bureaucrat? A bureaucrat is anyone who is either – Appointed by or – Employed by A government agency to administer a government program OR advise elected officials regarding public policy

5. Bureaucratic History Have always served important role in gov’t affairs but has been limited in the past due to smaller size – Original Cabinet only 5 departments – WHO, EOP have only existed in 20 th Century – Number of Congressional aides, judicial clerks was limited in the past – Many independent, regulatory agencies only came into existence in the 20 th Century

6. Bureaucratic Origins Three events typically foster the growth of bureaucracy – Population growth – War – Economic crisis Population growth – Rise of Social Security, Medicare, and now Obamacare to aid aging Baby Boomers War – Both World Wars and Cold War conflicts created Dept. of Defense, CIA – now War on Terror created new TSA and its mother agency the DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) Economic Crisis – New Deal legislation, Federal Reserve Bank, Departments of Labor, Commerce and Energy

7. Bureaucratic Origins These national examples are mirrored in the growth of state and local bureaucrats working for programs tied to federal funds (remember categorical grants & formula grants?) In essence, bureaucratic growth is necessary for any growing nation that finds itself dealing with unprecedented crises

8. The Bureaucratic Boom In order to grow a larger bureaucracy, governments must first authorize and appropriate expenditures – Authorization – Congressional approval of a program – Appropriation – determining the funding level of a program

9. The Bureaucratic Boom The graph to the left shows the overall increase in government spending in the 20 th Century (note the huge spike during the New Deal)

10. The Bureaucratic Boom Now compare the previous chart to the one on the right that displays the growth in the number of government employees at all levels Note the discrepancy between federal workers and other government workers

11. Civil Service Reform In response to the patronage aka spoils system in place before the 20 th Century in America, the Pendleton Act created a Civil Service Commission in order to – Determine the proper qualifications – Create exams to assess qualified applicants As a result, federal employees tend to retain their positions for as long as possible once they obtain their jobs Exceedingly difficult to replace retirees with new hires – rely on “internal mobility” or moving pre-screened bureaucrats to new positions

12. Types of Bureaucratic Agencies Government Corporations Increasingly rare in America but more common in the rest of the world Prominent American examples – USPS – Amtrak United States Postal Service

13. Types of Bureaucratic Agencies Food and Drug AdministrationRegulatory Agencies Exist to ensure legal operation of key sectors of economy – FDA – OSHA – SEC – FTC – FCC

14. Types of Bureaucratic Agencies Independent Agencies Agencies that were created for a specific policy objective – NASA – NSA – CIA – TVA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

15. Types of Bureaucratic Agencies Department of JusticeCabinet Departments Only bureaucracies mentioned by name in the Constitution Originally small in number but now include new creations – Dept. of Veterans Affairs – Dept. of Homeland Security

16. Bureaucratic Power Inherently undemocratic in nature – nobody elected them yet bureaucrats hold a large degree of political power over the implementation of law in America – Congress  makes law – President  enforces law – Courts  interpret law – Bureaucrats  administer, implement law

17. Bureaucratic Power When bureaucrats use their personal judgment to decide how to administer a law, this is called using their “discretion” Essentially, when we experience the law as citizens it is most likely due to our interaction with a bureaucrat who has exercised her or his discretion regarding the matter

18. Bureaucratic Power Examples – A national convention of state educators made Common Core standards but teachers make the lesson plans that reflect them – Politicians can create tough criminal sentencing laws but cops and district attorneys can cut plea bargains in exchange for information

19. Putting Bureaucrats in Check Congress can check agencies by Questioning their leaders in oversight committee meetings De-authorizing or reducing appropriations to an agency Creating another agency that duplicates the function of the original President can check agencies by Removing appointed leaders and replacing them Issuing executive orders as Chief Executive to alter their programs Use media powers to put a spotlight on them and expose problems

20. Putting Bureaucrats in Check Courts can check agencies by Allowing people or businesses to sue them Issuing injunctions to block actions by an agency Agencies can check others by Intentional leaks to the media Engaging in “turf wars” with other related agencies

21. Bureaucrats Check Back Bureaucrats use the powers of information and discretion to their advantage – No other branch can function without their assistance Executive branch relies on Cabinet, EOP and WHO Members of Congress completely reliant on aides, staffers Clerks, prosecutors, defenders and judges operate the machinery of the judiciary

22. Bureaucrats Check Back One of the greatest tools is secrecy and withholding information – Examples: Iran Contra scandal during Reagan administration There are over 30 levels of Top Secret clearance but the President maxes out allegedly at level 24 Secret Service and FBI stonewalling investigators after the Kennedy assassination

23. Bureaucrats Check Back The source of this secrecy power is their longevity Once a program is authorized and appropriated, it is extremely difficult to shut down To preserve their employment situation, bureaucrats will align with sympathetic interest groups and close Congressional connections to form the dreaded “iron triangle”

24. Bureaucrats Check Back

25. By currying favor with key members of Congress and securing the support of influential interest groups, bureaucrats can operate with more freedom and less oversight – Example: Dairy Farmers of America, House Agriculture Committee, Food and Drug Administration – Example: Lockheed Aircraft, US Air Force, Senate Armed Services Committee

26. More Agency Dysfunction In addition to agency turf wars (i.e. NSA vs. CIA or FBI vs. ATF at Branch Davidian Compound in Waco) and iron triangles, agencies can also be saddling stakeholders with red tape Red tape refers to inane, seemingly endless paperwork and wait time that it takes to get anything done – DMV visit without an appointment – Settling a tax problem with the IRS

27. Red Tape

28. More Agency Dysfunction Much red tape has been alleviated due to technology, but even bureaucratic technology is inefficient – Lack of proper communication between police forces in Europe that contributed to recent IS attacks – Server connection problems with the Obamacare website

29. More Money, More Problems Bureaucrats also find themselves constantly requesting more and more funds from Congress to operate – No mechanism exists for them to “save” any money from a previous fiscal year – Therefore, optimal strategy is to spend it all every year and then argue in front of Congress that more is necessary – Remember that soaring trend in overall government spending in the 20 th Century?

30. Oversight Committees

31. More Money, More Problems Since bureaucrats rely on public spending for their own income, most of them tend to have liberal political views and support the Democratic Party Congress passed the Hatch Act during the New Deal to try to stem their burgeoning political influence but largely failed One of the top three segments of the population who contributed funds to Obama’s re-election were government workers How can we ever decrease government spending in this sort of campaign environment?

32. Summary Bureaucrats and their agencies are creatures of the modern era’s wars and national crises Once created, they are almost impossible to destroy Ultimately, the details of the implementation of law will be decided by them The other branches of government attempt to keep bureaucrats in check, but also cannot properly function on their own with bureaucrats

33. Summary When not clashing with other rival agencies, teams of bureaucrats form complex political alliances with other power players to maximize their influence Even at their best, agencies tend to be less efficient than the majority of private firms, but it is almost impossible to fire them so they persist in the system for far longer than elected officials

34. Summary Multiple historical incidences exist of agencies using secrecy, leaks, and other informational warfare to achieve their objectives covertly, while at the same time openly campaigning for candidates that match their political ideologies