The Federal Bureaucracy

Chapter 13: WilsonAP Government and

Politics

Why is the Bureaucracy sometimes considered the “fourth branch” of

government?

Homework: •Assignment 11

What is a “bureaucracy”?• We know the second half of

the word, “cracy” means “to rule”.

• And “bureau” is a French word for “desk”…

• So together, the word bureau-cracy literally means “to rule from a desk”.

•The idea is that government workers, who often work at desks, are essentially “ruling us”…

–Why might this be controversial?

What is a “bureaucracy”?A large, complex group organized according to a

certain structure

The Federal “B’ucy”

• Divided into 3 basic parts– Executive

(Cabinet) departments

– Independent Executive Agencies

– The Executive Office of the President

Executive Office of

the President

Executive Deapartments "The Cabinet"

The Executive Branch

("The President")

- The "Right Arm" of the President

- Several agencies staffed by the

President's closest advisors

Independent Agencies - Number in the 100's

- Deal with specific areas/activities outside the scope

of the Cabinet depts.- Report directly to the

President

White House Office

Council of Economic Advisors Other Key

Executive Agencies

Justice HS

- 15 Departments headed by a Secretary

- Do most of the work of the Executive

branch- Broken down into

subunits

National Security Council

NASA

CIA

EPAFEC

SSA

State Defense

Peace Corps

How is the US federal bureaucracy different than other nations?

• Separation of powers – 2 masters…• System of Federalism – work with state/local gov, don’t just

tell them what to do• “Adversary” culture – citizens can sue and have input

regarding regulations and actions taken by the bucy• Scope and size – larger than in most nations; but regulatory

and not ownership in nature• Which of these do you think is most important characteristic

to….?– The President and other political executives?– The public at large?

Chapter 13: WilsonAP Government and

Politics

Growth and Size of the

Bureaucracy

Consider: Is a “lifetime” bureaucrat a good thing?

Assignment 12 for Thursday

Quotes on Bureaucracy• There’s a new game that's sweeping the country.

It's called "Bureaucracy" Everybody stands in a circle. The first person to do anything loses.

• “The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is its inefficiency.”

• “In any bureaucracy, paper work increases as you spend more and more time reporting on the less and less you are doing”

• “Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible”

The “Rules” of Bureaucracy• Preserve thyself. • It is easier to fix the blame than to fix the problem. • A penny saved is an oversight. • Information deteriorates upward. • The first 90% of the task takes 90% of the time; the last 10%

takes the other 90%. • Experience is what you get just after you need it. • For any given large, complex, hard-to-understand, expensive

problem, there exists at least one short, simple, easy, cheap wrong answer.

• Anything that can be changed will be, until time runs out. • To err is human; to shrug is civil service. • There’s never enough time to do it right, but there’s always

enough time to do it over.• Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.

– O’Toole’s Corollary – Murphy was an optimist.

The Bureaucrats• Some Bureaucratic Myths and

Realities– Americans dislike bureaucrats.

• Americans are generally satisfied with bureaucrats.

– Bureaucracies are growing bigger each year.

• Not the federal bureaucracy.– Most federal bureaucrats work in

Washington, D.C.• Only about 12 percent do.

– Bureaucracies are ineffective, inefficient, and always mired in red tape.

• No more so than private businesses.

Bureaucratic GrowthThe Founding to Civil War

– Not created by the Constitution• Begins small, only to perform the basic functions of government, and the post office• As nation grows, Bucy grows with it.

– Patronage – Remains focused on service, as opposed to regulatory function

Era of Reform – Civil War to 1930s• Civil War demonstrates need for better or more organized bucy;

industrialization also increases need– Over 200,000 employees added between 1861-1901. New departments

created• Progressive Movement advocates for an end to patronage• Pendleton Act creates merit-based system for hiring• belief that ultimate power still rests with Congress to write rulesModern Era – Post WWII to present• Growth until about 1960, then fed remains at about 3-4 million direct

employees• Focused on regulating areas of the economy and society• Congress has delegated tremendous authority to these agencies

Bureaucratic Growth

Working for “the Man”…• Who are the “’crats”?

– Directly (bucy; about 4 million) and indirectly (private companies and contractors; as many as 8-10 million more) employed or funded by the federal government

• Types of jobs:– Competitive (general exam by

OPM) vs. excepted (hired by agencies for specific jobs) service

– Name – request – specific person hired for specific job

• The buddy system…good or bad?

The Postal Service: A Model of Inefficiency?