Transcript Slide 1
The Bureaucracy
American Government
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy has a hierarchical authority structure
Power flows from the top down and responsibility flows from bottom up
The success of a Bureaucracy is predicated on:
Task specialization
Extensive rules
The merit principle
Impersonality
Civil Service
Prior to the use of the civil service, governmental hiring was done through the
process of patronage
Patronage (spoils system) is a hiring and promotion system based on political
reasons rather than on merit or competence
Patronage may be based on working on a campaign, making large political donations, and
having the right connections
Patronage was ushered out with the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)
This act created the civil service as we know it today
In order to keep the integrity of the Pendleton Civil Service Act, the Hatch Act
forbids one from engaging in patrician politics while on duty
Civil Service
Our bureaucracies are populated with employees who are part of the civil
service program
The civil service is designed to hire and promote members of the bureaucracy on
the basis of merit and to create a nonpartisan government service
The merit principle is determined based upon the use of entrance exams and promotion
ratings to reward qualified individuals
Organization
Independent regulatory agencies
These agencies have the responsibility of making and enforcing rules designed to
protect the public interest in regards to a particular sector of the economy
I.E. Federal Reserve Board (FRB), National labor Relations Board (NLRB), Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC)
These are powerful groups who have significant power over private industry
The president has very little control over these groups which provides them
insulation from presidential administrations
Organization
Government Corporations
Government corporations provide a service that could be handled by the private
sector but at cheaper rates than the consumer would pay in the private sector
I.E. The Post Office, Amtrak, Satellite communications
Independent executive agencies
These are all agencies in the government that do not include cabinet departments,
regulatory commissions and government corporations
These include agencies like the General Service Administration (GSA), the National Science
Foundation (NSF), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Why Policy Fails
Here are some reasons why implementation fails:
Poor program design
Lack of clarity
Lack of resources
Administrative Routine
Administrative discretion
If there is a lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs) then the implementation of the policy
will fail
This is the authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given
problem
Those who use more discretion are sometimes known as street-level bureaucrats
They are termed as such because of their ability to listen to the public
Fragmentation
Regulation
Regulation
is the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the
private sector
I.E. The SEC regulating the merging of companies, Affirmative Action, the EPA, NHTSA, and
the DOT requiring pollution-control, energy-saving, and safety devises
Regulation can be accomplished through command-and control policy, as well as
incentive systems
Deregulation
This is the lifting of government restrictions on business, industry and professional
activities