FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY: “Fourth Branch”

Ch. 9

What is a Bureaucracy? Large, complex organizations in which employees have very specific

job responsibilities and work within a hierarchy of authority The job of a bureaucrat is to implement government policy, to take

the laws and decisions made by elected officials and put them into practice. Some bureaucrats implement policy by writing rules and regulations, whereas others administer policies directly to people

CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS

– Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution gives the president the power to appoint “all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for.”

– Article II, Section 3, states that the president “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.”

BUREAUCRATS• Americans hate bureaucracy but like bureaucrats• Federal bureaucracy decreasing (3% of all civilian jobs– There are roughly 2.7 million civilians directly employed by

the federal government. • This includes more than 600,000 United States Postal workers.• In addition, there are currently an additional 1.4 million serving in

the armed forces.

– Largest budget: Social Security Admin. (1/3)– Only 12% work in DC

• Number of gov’t jobs expanding at state level (9%)– PO, social security, air traffic controllers, IRS, FBI – in the

field– Test milk, clean streets, run parks, issue student loans,

transport

GROWTH OVER TIME Spoils system Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883 Hatch Act Progressive Era World Wars New Deal Great Society Deregulation/Devolution

GROWTH OVER TIME

• The federal bureaucracy was small throughout much of American history. But the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs greatly expanded the role of the federal government. George W. Bush’s War on Terror has also expanded and redefined the role of the federal government and has necessitated the creation of new organizations, such as the Department of Homeland Security.

GROWTH OVER TIME

– In 1789, the new government’s bureaucracy was minuscule. There were three departments – State (with 9 employees), War (with 2 employees), and Treasury (with 39 employees)

– Excluding the military, approximately 2.8 million government employees constitute the federal bureaucracy.

– Since 1970, this growth has been mainly at the state and local levels. If all government employees are counted, then more than 15% of all civilian employment is accounted for by government.

BUREAUCRACY•Public agencies that translate the intent of democratic institutions into action•Embody ALL 3 branches of gov’t– Bureaucrats:• Execute laws (E)• Rule-making/Interpretation (L)• Establish consequences (J)

BUREAUCRATIC INDEPENDENCE

• Why do work when someone else can do it for you?

• Size of federal bureaucracy• Specialization• Lack of detail in legislation

Intergovernmental Relations• Although the president is the chief administrator of

the federal system, all bureaucratic agencies are subject to the desires of Congress for their funding, staffing, and their continued existence. Tug-of-war over control:

• Executive control (dad)– Appointment– Instruction for execution– Budget authority

• Legislative control (mom)– Create agencies– Budget authority– Set up legislation to implement policy– Oversight power

BUREAUCRATIC INDEPENDENCE

• Administrative Discretion• This refers to the degree of autonomy enjoyed

by agency officials to establish policies or take actions independent of congressional or presidential directive.

IRON TRIANGLE

• An iron triangle is an alliance of people from three groups: a congressional subcommittee that deals with an issue, the executive agency that enforces laws on that issue, and private interest groups. Often, the members of the triangle know each other well, and people frequently move from one corner of the triangle to another. The members of the iron triangle work together to create policy that serves their interests.

• Example: An iron triangle might form around a particular weapons system. The Defense Department may want a new weapons system, members of congressional Armed Services Committees may want to look tough on defense by voting for a new system, and military suppliers want to make money by selling weapons systems. Therefore, it is in the interests of all three parties to push Congress to authorize the new weapons system.

ISSUE NETWORKS

• Today, policymaking typically involves a complex attempt to balance many conflicting demands. Many scholars now use the term “issue network” to describe the policymaking process instead of “iron triangles.”– An issue network consists of a group of individuals or organizations that

support a particular policy position on the environment, taxation, consumer safety, or some other issue.

– Typically, an issue network includes legislators and or their staff members, interest groups, bureaucrats, scholars, and other experts, and representatives from the media.

– Members of a particular issue network work together to influence the president, members of Congress, administrative agencies, and the courts to change public policy on a specific issue.

BREAKDOWN• Congress writes a law, President signs• Implementation responsibility of bureaucratic

agency or new agency • Congress determines preliminary BUDGET• President APPOINTS top of agency; SENATE

CONSENT– Rest hired based on civil service exam

• Bureaucrats determine best way to implement law, spend money, and judge punishment

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS

• There are five types of organizations in the federal bureaucracy:

• Cabinet departments • Independent executive agencies • Independent regulatory agencies • Government corporations • Presidential commissions

1. Negotiates treaties; develops foreign policy; protects citizens abroad 2. Supervises federally owned lands and parks; supervises Native American

affairs 3. Pays all federal bills; borrows money; collects federal taxes 4. Furnishes legal advice to the president; enforces federal criminal laws 5. Deals with the nation’s housing needs 6. Finances improvements in mass transit 7. Involved in conservation of energy and resources 8. Manages the armed forces; operates military bases 9. Provides assistance to farmers and ranchers; works to protect forests from fire

and disease 10. Grants patents and trademarks; conducts the census 11. Administers federal labor laws 12. Promotes the welfare of veterans 13. Prevent terrorist attacks within the US 14. Coordinates federal programs and policies for education 15. Administers the Social Security and Medicare programs

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS

• Independent Executive Agencies– Lie outside the jurisdiction of the cabinet departments– Perform service, do NOT regulate

• Heads serve at Presidents will

• Independent Regulatory Commission/Agency– Responsible for some sector of the economy, making and

enforcing rules to protect the public interest• Serve for fixed terms

• Government Corporations– Gov’t-owned enterprises that provide some service for a fee

or engage in commercial activity

WHY INDEPENDENT?

• Some "independent agencies" just don't fit under one of the large executive departments. But others were made independent because Congress wanted to protect them from political manipulation. In particular, Congress wanted to make sure that future presidents could not administer an agency in ways contrary to Congress's intentions in creating the agency.

GOVERNMENT CORPORATION

Independent REGULATORY

Independent EXECUTIVE

National Science FoundationNASA (National Aeronautics and Space

Administration)…that’s all I have to say about that.

GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION: GOOD OR BAD?

• CONSERVATIVES– Gov’t regulation stifles economic development– Costly, forces businesses to raise prices = less competitive in world market– Inhibits innovation– Solution: DEREGULATION

• LIBERALS– Regulation needed to maintain economic, social, environmental health– Consequences of deregulation: exploitation of workers and consumers– Businesses will NOT self-regulate

• Privatization occurs when private companies perform services that were formerly handled by a government agency. For example, the government may abolish public housing and instead give rental vouchers to residents to use in privately owned apartments. Supporters of privatization argue that private profit-driven organizations are more efficient than government bureaucracies because companies have strong incentives to be as efficient as possible. Privatization has been somewhat successful, particularly for services provided by local governments (such as trash collection). Some services do not translate well from public to private, however, and some—such as national defense—cannot be transferred to private firms at all.