Transcript Slide 1
THE BUREAUCRACY
America’s alphabet soup
McDonald’s vs. DMV
Rules of Operation
Workers
Goals (measuring those goals)
Acquiring and Using the Factors of Production
External vs. Internal factors
The Weberian Model of Bureaucracy
The five characteristics of bureaucracy.
Division of labor
Hierarchy-pyramid
Formal rules
Maintenance of files
and records-Freedom of Information
Act (1974)
Professionalization
Goals-promote the “public good”, but how is that
measured? This causes many people to believe the
bureaucracy is wasteful.
Cost vs. Benefits
Benefits
Hierarchy: can speed
action by reducing
conflicts over decisions
Specialization: promote
efficiency because
workers focus on one job
(become skill)
Formal rules: workers act
with speed and precision
because decisions based
on rules
Costs
They are large unwieldy
organization that can
create endless paperwork
and delays (red tape)
Bureaucrats are
unelected public-policy
makers
Bureaucracies are
expensive and
sometimes
uncontrollable
Neutral Competence
The idea of neutral competence
• Despite stereotypes, most government
employees work efficiently and
inexpensively.
• Roughly 2.9 million people work for the
government bureaucracy-2nd to Wal-Mart
• The bureaucracy is largely staffed by people
hired for their skills, not their political
leanings.
The Merit System
The spoils system
Assassination of Garfield
The Pendleton Act
merit system and
the civil service
Functions of Bureaucracy
Policy Implementation
Making Policy-delegated legislative authority
because what Congress passes is to vague to be
effective
Regulation-establish standards and impose
restrictions on violations of those standards
Collecting Data and Doing Research
Provide Continuity-elected officials come and go,
bureaucrats never leave which provides for
continuity and professionalization
Organization of
the U.S.
Government
No government ever
voluntarily reduces
itself in size.
Government
programs, once
launched, never
disappear. Actually, a
government bureau is
the nearest thing to
eternal life we’ll ever
see on this earth!
Ronald Reagan, 1964
The Structure of American Bureaucracies
The Executive Office of the President (President’s closest
advisors)
White House Staff (the “nerve center”)
Cabinet Departments-directly responsible to President,
but also responsible to their department
Independent Agencies-not part of Cabinet, report to
President, perform specialized functions (NASA, CIA,
EPA); or they regulate the economy and protect the public
(FED, SEC, FCC)
Government Corporations-work off its profits, not funded
by Congress (Post Office, TVA, FDIC, AMTRAK)
Other Bureaus
Privatization-Advantages and
Disadvantages
Advantages
Less red tape and
bureaucracy
More competition
Can obtain special
skills
Improve service quality
Ideology-less
government is better
More choices for
people (school
vouchers)
Disadvantages
Incentives to reduce
quality
Reduced access to
service for the
disadvantaged
Resulting cost savings
directed away from
taxpayer