Transcript Chapter 1 The Study of American Government

Chapter 15
The Bureaucracy
1. What is “bureaucracy” and in what ways is the American
bureaucracy distinctive?
2. What is “discretionary authority” and why do some
bureaucrats have lots of it?
3. How does Congress exert control over the bureaucracy?
4. What happened to make the bureaucracy a “fourth branch”
of American national government?
5. What are the actual size and scope of the federal
bureaucracy?
6. What should be done to improve bureaucratic
performance?
7. Is “red tape” all bad?
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Learning Objectives
2
WHO GOVERNS?
1. What happened to make the bureaucracy a
“fourth branch” of American national
government?
2. What are the actual size and scope of the
federal bureaucracy?
TO WHAT ENDS?
1. What should be done to improve bureaucratic
performance?
2. Is “red tape” all bad?
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Introduction
3
 Political authority shared among
several institutions
 Federal government agencies share
functions with state/local governments
 Adversary culture → close scrutiny
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Distinctiveness of the
American Bureaucracy
4
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Proxy Government
 Social Security
 Medicare
 Environmental
protection
 Income tax
collection
 Many military
duties
People taken by boat away from their
New Orleans homes that were struck
by Hurricane Katrina in 2008.
5
 The Beginning
 The Appointment of Officials
 A Service Role (1861-1901)
 Laissez-faire government
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The Growth of the Bureaucracy
6
 A Change in Role
 Great Depression and the New Deal
 World War II
 Effects of 9/11
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The Growth of the Bureaucracy
7
 Has the size of the federal bureaucracy
increased since 1960?
 Number of federal employees stable
 But an estimated 13 million people now
work indirectly for federal government
 Discretionary authority
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The Federal Bureaucracy Today
8
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Federal Civilian Employment, 1990–2012
9
 Recruitment and Retention
 Office of Personnel Management
 The competitive service
 The excepted service
 Not hired by the OPM
 Some are nonpartisan in nature
 Some are appointed (3%)
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The Federal Bureaucracy Today
10
 Recruitment and Retention
 The Buddy System
 Firing a Bureaucrat
 The Agency’s Point of View
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The Federal Bureaucracy Today
11
 Personal Attributes
 Social class
 Education
 Personal political beliefs
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The Federal Bureaucracy Today
12
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Characteristics of Federal Civilian
Employees, 1960 and 2012
13
 Do Bureaucrats Sabotage Their
Political Bosses?
 To block or to carry out?
 Whistle Blower Protection Act (1989)
 Culture and Careers
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The Federal Bureaucracy Today
14
Constraints
 Administrative
Procedure Act
 The Growth of the
Bureaucracy
 Freedom of
Information Act
 National
Environmental
Policy Act
 Privacy Act
 Open Meeting Law
Effects of Constraints
 Government acts slowly
 Government can act
inconsistently
 Easier to block action
(than to take action)
 Lower-ranking
employees reluctant to
make decisions
 Red tape
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The Federal Bureaucracy Today
15
 The People (and enacted by Congress,
Courts, White House, Interest Groups)
 Agency Allies
 Iron triangle (client politics)
 Issue networks
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Why So Many Constraints?
16
 The Appropriations Committee and
Legislative Committees
 The Legislative Veto
 Congressional Investigations
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Congressional Oversight
17
 Red Tape
 Conflict
 Duplication
 Imperialism
 Waste
At the world’s busiest border crossing, cars line
up to enter the United States in Tijuana, Mexico.
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Bureaucratic “Pathologies”
18
Percent reporting a “favorable or unfavorable impression”*
*Other response categories were “never heard of” and “can’t rate,” and only the
newest agency, the Transportation Safety Administration, drew significant
numbers in each category ( 9 percent for each).
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How the Public Views Particular
Federal Agencies
19
 The Brownlow Commission
 The First Hoover Commission
 The Ash Council
 National Performance Review
 Government Performance and Results Act
 Performance Assessment Rating Tool
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Reforming the Bureaucracy
20
 Do we really want to change who
controls the bureaucracy?
 May make bureaucracy too powerful
 Weak /divided bureaucracy may help
protect liberties
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Reforming the Bureaucracy
21
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President Obama Implements
Government Reforms
22
Click picture to play video
Taking a closer look:
1. Does President Obama need
congressional approval to institute
bureaucratic reforms? Why?
2. What interest groups likely protested
these proposals?
3. Why is bureaucratic reduction more
politically popular than increasing
oversight?
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President Obama Implements
Government Reforms
23