chapter 14 bureaucracy in a democracy. bureaucracy in a democracy

Chapter 14

Bureaucracy in

a Democracy

Bureaucracy in a Democracy

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats

• Bureaucracy: complex structure of departments, tasks, rules, and principles of an organization used by large public and private institutions to coordinate work.– Includes: structure, procedures, workers, services, and

other deliverables associated with implementing policies.• Example: colleges and universities

The Size of the Federal Service


• The size of the federal service– Federal bureaucracy shrunk over last 35 years– 1968: 3m civilians, 3.6m military– 2008: 2.7m civilians, 1.4m military


• Despite population growth, spending as a percentage of GDP has remained remarkably constant.


• Implementation: department and agency efforts to translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and actions

• Making rules– The rule-making process is highly political.– Agencies must submit rules to the public in advance to

obtain feedback during a comments period.• During this period, opponents can wage PR wars to

have the proposal withdrawn.

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

Who Are “Bureaucrats”?

CHAPTER 14

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

Executive Branch Employees, 2010 (in thousands)

Key

> 0.6%

0.6 – 5.5%

5.6 – 10.5%

10.6 – 15.5%

15.5% +

Education0.14%

4

EPA0.68%

19

Soc. Sec. Admin.2.5%

70 Justice4%

118

Health & Human

Services3.25%

70

* Independent agencies include NASA, the EPA, and the Social Security Administration (shown here), as well as other agencies.

SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau 2012 Statistical Abstract; Bureau of Labor Statistics.

WHO ARE AMERICANS?


Key

> 0.6%

0.6 – 5.5%

5.6 – 10.5%

10.6 – 15.5%

15.5% +



Commerce2.10%

57

General Services Admin0.47%

13

Treasury 4%

110

Housing & Urban Dev.

0.36%

10

Agriculture3.9%

107

Labor0.65%

18

State1.4%

39

NASA0.7%

19

Energy0.58%

16

WHO ARE AMERICANS?


Key

> 0.6%

0.6 – 5.5%

5.6 – 10.5%

10.6 – 15.5%

15.5% +



Veterans Affairs11%

305

Homeland Security

6.6%

183

Defense28%

773

Interior2.5%

70

Independent Agencies

9.5%

180

Transportation2.1%

58

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

Location, 2008

(number of federal employees in thousands)



Washington, D.C. Area17%

320

83% – Other

1,589


• Enforcing laws– Agency powers can include:

• Demanding reports• Auditing books• Monitoring contracts• Tracking company obligations• Regulating citizens’ actions


• The civil service– Spoils system: prior to the 1880s, most federal jobs were

given to political supporters of various officials until the next election.

• Virtually no central bureaucracy at this time• Most jobs were with the post office or the courts.• Simple jobs, often used to reward political supporters.


• On July 2, 1881, President Garfield was assassinated by a man upset that he was not given a patronage position.

• Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, 1883– Covered positions must be obtained by passing an exam.– Civil servants cannot be fired without cause.

Organization of the Executive Branch

• The executive branch is divided into departments, each headed by a secretary and a wide array of deputies, assistant secretaries, and undersecretaries.


• The basic operational unit is the agency.– Sometimes called a bureau, service, or administration– Examples:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (Justice)• Secret Service (Homeland Security)• Food and Drug Administration (Health and Human

Services)


• Independent agencies– Treated like any other bureaucratic agency, but exist

outside the current departmental system– Usually have sweeping mandates

• CIA, EPA, NASA


• Government corporations– Provide public services and, while chartered by the U.S.

government, are highly independent– Have outside revenue sources– May or may not get funding at any time– Examples:

• Amtrak, United States Postal Service, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Tennessee Valley Authority


• Independent regulatory commissions– Highly specialized rule-making bodies that are supposed to

be insulated from politics– Typically overseen by a board of commissioners appointed

for fixed terms

Promoting the Public Welfare


• Many agencies are concerned with the general well-being of Americans, often with a special focus on the most needy.

• Examples:– Housing and Urban Development– Health and Human Services– Veterans Affairs– Interior, Education, Labor, and Agriculture

Organizational Chart of the Department of Agriculture


• Service provision– The federal government either directly provides or works

with states and the private sector to provide many services.

– Examples:• Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid• Libraries, parks, hospitals


• Iron triangles– Beneficiaries who can link into interest groups have a

better time of seeing their programs grow.• Elderly, through AARP—Social Security• Veterans, through the VFW—veterans benefits• Children, via farm groups—WIC & SNAP (food stamps)

– The poor generally have no interest group.

Iron Triangles

Providing National Security

• Agencies for internal security– In 2002, Congress created the Department of Homeland

Security, a massive restructuring of the U.S. national security bureaucracy.

• Security, immigration services and enforcement, privacy law, transportation, and intelligence elements are linked in different ways within this agency.


• USA PATRIOT ACT (2001)– Made it much easier for law enforcement agents to search

phone, e-mail, medical, and financial records of terrorism suspects

– Easier to detain and deport foreigners


• External national security• Department of State

– Employs diplomacy to make friends and marginalize enemies abroad

• Department of Defense– Unified under the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a civilian

secretary


• National security and democracy– How do we balance individual liberty with national security

concerns?– How do we balance state secrets with an open society?

Keeping Secrets

Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed?

Maintaining a Strong Economy

• Monetary and fiscal agencies• Fiscal policy: the government’s use of taxation,

monetary, and spending powers to manipulate the economy.


• The Federal Reserve Bank: “The Fed”– Every night, some banks will have surplus money, and

some will need to borrow.– The Fed determines the lending rate between banks,

which influences the rates they charge to borrowers.– This helps determine how much money is in the economy

by making borrowing easier or more expensive.


• National Performance Review (1993)• Termination of programs• Deregulation• Devolution• Privatization


• Privatization: paying private contractors to perform tasks previously performed by government employees– 2000: the U.S. paid out $209b in contracts– 2008: $528b

• Private contractors are not usually subjected to the same standards or reviews as federal employees.

Outsourcing the Government

The President as Chief Executive

Managing the Bureaucracy

• The managerial presidency– Presidents have vast authority over budgeting.– Nominate top officials in every department– Have tremendous influence over the policies agencies

propose and follow

• Difficult to displace agency cultures; civil servants cannot be fired

Managing the Bureaucracy

• Congressional oversight– Committees are expected to oversee the executive-branch

agencies in their purview.• Often oversight is partisan• Can be effective in bringing issues to the public’s

attention• Iron triangles: members of Congress can be too

supportive of agencies to be critical of them.

Public Opinion Poll

Do you generally approve or disapprove of the way the

federal bureaucracy is handling its job?

a) Approve

b) Disapprove

Public Opinion Poll

The U.S. military is a huge and very expensive

bureaucracy. As far as you can tell, is it an effective

and efficient bureaucracy?

a) Yes, it is an effective and efficient bureaucracy.

b) No, the military is neither effective nor efficient.

c) It is effective, but not efficient.

d) It is not effective, but it is efficient.

Public Opinion Poll

Do online service options make bureaucracies better at

their core business (whether it is driver licenses, class

registration, or looking up information from library

websites)?

a) Yes, online services make bureaucracy work better.

b) No, online services make bureaucracy worse.

c) It makes no difference.

Public Opinion Poll

Why do you think most Americans have a negative

view of the federal bureaucracy?

a) Negative personal experiences (long lines, poor service, etc.)

b) Opinions that the public costs exceed the benefits

c) Both A and B

d) Disagree with premise that most Americans have negative views of the bureaucracy.

Public Opinion Poll

The size of the bureaucracy has consistently shrunk

over the last 30 years. Federal jobs have been

phased out, or outsourced to private sector contractors.

Who should be credited or blamed (whatever your

point of view) for the smaller size of government?

a) Presidents

b) Congress

c) Both A and B

Chapter 14: Bureaucracy in a Democracy

• Quizzes

• Flashcards

• Outlines

• Exercises

wwnorton.com/we-the-people

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/polisci/we-the-people8/texas/ch/14/studyplan.aspx

Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook.

Bureaucrats

Leading through Civilian Power

Termination

Navigate the Bureaucracy

chapter 14 bureaucracy in a democracy. bureaucracy in a democracy

Documents

bureaucrats bureaucracy

democracy slide

military slide

federal service slide

independent agencies

census bureau

social security administration

thousands key