AP gov chapter 14 the bureaucracy

All regulations

1. A grants of power and set of directions from Congress. 2. A set of rules/guidelines by regulatory agencies. 3. Means of enforcing compliance with congressional goals and agency regulations.

Bureaucratic Myths

1. Americans dislike bureaucrats: Americans are mainly satisfied with them and the treatment they get from them. Americans dislike bureaucracy is not the individual bureaucrats, and 2/3 have said they've had a good experience with bureaucrats who are helpful efficient fair courteous and work to serve client interest 2. Bureaucrats are growing larger each year: half true half false. Government employees are increasing, but not the number of federal employees. The federal government civilian employment is shrinking, only accounting for 1.2% of all US workforce 3. Most federal bureaucrats work in DC: less than 1/7 Federal civilian employees work in Washington DC. 42,000 work in foreign and US territories 4. Bureaucracies are in effective and efficient and always Mired in red tape: bureaucracies are simply a way to organize people to work... Bureaucracies include general motors, colleges, the army, the department of health and services, the Roman Catholic Church. When they work while they're given a little credit but when they work for elite they're called unfair. They can be in efficient at times but there is no substitute and governmental bureaucracies aren't any better or worse than private bureaucracies

Three elements of policy implementation

1. Create a new agency or assignment of new responsibility to an old agency 2. Translate policy goals into operational rules and development of guidelines for programs 3. Coordinate resources and personnel to achieve intended goals

problems of regulation

1. Raising prices: when a producer has an expensive regulation the cost is passed to the consumers with high prices 2. Hurting US competitive positions abroad: other nations have fewer regulations than the United States so our products cost more in the international market and undermine the sales of other countries. 3. Failing to work why I: regulations are difficult and cumbersome to enforce in the results might not be what Congress expected

Implementing

Public policies are rarely self executing, Congress broadly announces it a policy in such an administrative apparatus but leave the details to the bureaucracy to solve

Presidents tried to control the bureacracy

1. They appoint the right people to head agencies. This means they appoint Agency has an subheads. This is a way to influence agency policy but does not give them the complete freehand. 2. Issue orders. The president can issue executive orders which are regulations originating in the executive branch to control the bureaucracy, caring the force of a law used to implement statutes treaties and provisions of Congress. But even speeches outside of the bureaucracy can influence bureaucratic priorities. Agency has might not take directives with the fear of Congress or the press. 3. Altering agency's budget. The OMB is the final authority of agency budgets and threats to cut an add which Gains agency attention. 4. Re-organizing an agency. It's hard if the agency is large and strong but re-organizing a small and weak agency is not worth the time.

The hatch act

A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics While on duty or for employees and sensitive positions at any time. Government employees can participate in political activity off duty but can't run for Pardison elected officers or solicit contributions from the public. Those in sensitive positions, like national security can't participate in political activity off duty

Government corporations

A government organization that, like business corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for its services. The U.S. Postal Service is an example. Another example of the Tennessee Valley Authority created in 1933 with the new deal, to control flooding expand navigation protect soil erosion and give inexpensive electricity Another example is Amtrak

Congress has created...

A layered system without regarding the work of the agencies as a whole. And Obama called it outdated saying it would be better with one agency which upsets Congress because they don't want to lose jurisdiction of certain agencies

street-level bureaucrats

A phrase coined by Michael Lipsky, referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion. No number of rules will eliminate the need of bureaucratic discretion of policy. And example of the street level bureaucrats is police, welfare workers, and low court judges.

Policy loyalty

A problematic criterion to fill key positions. Along with using these positions to reward political associates and key campaign contributors to satisfy the desires of high-level point is to name their own subordinates

GS Rating (General Schedule)

A schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS 18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience.

Big government under attack

A stronger incentive to downsize governmental bureaucracies

civil service

A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service. Most federal agencies are covered by this. Nonpartisan civil service insulates government workers from the risk of being fired when a new party comes to power

Bureaucracy

According to Max Weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality.

Administrative routine

Administrations are typically routine and follow standard operating procedures. This saves time as agencies write detailed manuals to cover particular situations officials might encounter. They have binders filled with rules and regulations about what can and can't be brought into the US. And justice is better served what officials apply these rules uniformly. Routine is a sensual to bureaucrats but can frustrate with red Tape or dangerous obstacles to action Example the 9/11 Commission said that the terrace standard operating procedures were unsuited and every respect for the hijackings Agencies can fail to establish routines necessary to complete their tasks with improper paperwork and follow ups of inspection

Senior Executive Service

An elite cadre of about 9,000 federal government managers at the top of the civil service system. They have the highest salaries, and the president may move them between agencies when leadership needs change

Controversy of cabinet departments

And example is Republicans trying to ban the education energy and commerce departments from spending money on things that they believed was a waste of tax dollars

Program design

And example of Congress passing a bill for health insurance when People change or lose their job or coverage. But insurance companies charge premiums that are higher than the standard rates so people can't afford insurance anyways

Bureaucracy representation

As a whole, bureaucracies better represent the US civilians then legislators, judges, the president, and executive branch. The average age is 47, 51% are college graduates, 57% man wild 43% are women, 64% of white and the rest are minority.

Plumbook

As new administration celebrates and prepares to take control of the government, Congress publishes a Plumbook, which is a list of the top federal jobs available for direct presidential appointment and congressional confirmation. 500 cabinet secretaries, assistant secretaries, and bureaucratic chiefs with 2500 lesser positions

Lack of resources

Bureaucracies are large but they lack staff. They also lack staff training, funds, supplies, and equipment carry out their assignments. And example is after the war in Iraq US had too few troops to fight in Afghanistan The National Guard also has 1/3 of the equipment needed for disaster and attacks, and the Social Security office lacks staff so it takes over one year to process disability insurance.

The tobacco iron triangle

Bureaucracy/ tobacco division of the department of agriculture: They gave information and helped with constituent complaints to congressional subcommittees. They also ruled the tobacco production and prices to interest groups Interest groups/ tobacco lobbyist, farmers, manufacturers: They gave campaign contributions to support congressional subcommittees and gave information to congressional subcommittees. They also supported agency budget requests and provided information To the bureaucracy Congressional committees and subcommittees/the subcommittees in the house and senate agricultural committees: They approved high budget request of the bureaucracy. They also created laws that affect farmers in the industry of interest groups

Administrators disposition

Bureaucrats operate with routines and discretion to behave independently. But some have more discretion than others, like street-level bureaucrats. And the use of discretion depends on a persons view towards policies and walls that might conflict with their interests People are asked to carry out an executive order that they don't agree with their slippage and performance and policy decisions. So controlling discretion is very hard and it's hard to fire bureaucrats in civil service and removing the cabinet members would embarrass the president

To get a job with the office of personnel management

Candidates take a test, and if they pass their name is sent to agencies want to job opens that requires their skills. With an agency vacancy, the OMP since three names except an unusual situations. That agency must hire one of the three people

Bureaucrats are

Central to our lives, they provide essential public services and possess crucial information and expertise. They are partners of the president and Congress and decision making and policy and are central to politics

Congress trying to control the bureaucracy

Congress and the bureaucracy have a paradoxical relationship, Congress finds big bureaucracy is abnormal. If Congress lacks policy problem answers, they turn to the bureaucracy to find them. And if Congress finds an issue they set the bureaucratic agenda. 1. Influence appointments of agency heads. Congress will offer opinions about who should run agencies without the need of congresses approval but if an appointment needs Congress to approve it's two times more influential, sparking a lively debate 2. Altering agencies budget. With the power of the purse, they can cut and increase the budget or pass limitation riders which for bid agencies from spending money for specific purposes. But if there are too many cuts agencies are more responsive. So they order agencies to spend money in certain ways with laws or informal statements. 3. Hold hearings. Committees and subcommittees hold oversight and responsibility hearings that might bring issues to the press so they might not do this and avoid embarrassing a president. 4. Rewriting legislation or making it more detailed. Congress can overturn rules and limit agencies authority to make certain rules. Congressional statutes can give instructions to administrators and they can write clearer legislation but there still could be discretion. There can also be accidental contradictory legislation in subcommittees and committees sent to agencies. It is also hard to eliminate discretion.

lack of clarity

Congress states a broad policy goal and leaves bureaucracy is to implement. Congress escapes the mass and blames the implementation on the bureaucracy. And example is the title IX of education act in 1972. No one based on their socks is to be denied the right to participate in federally financed school programs or activities. Interest groups rallying this were women athletes who were discriminated against in women sports... This would be prohibited. But the vague language to colleges called for equality of budget in all programs of athletic departments. The department of health, education, and welfare then clarified that football was a unique sport does discriminating women by outstanding their budget on football. This upset supporters because bureaucrats were given unclear and contradictory orders. Department of health, education, and welfare then clarified that football was a unique sport does discriminating women by out spending their budget on football. This upset supporters because bureaucrats were given unclear and contradictory orders Another example is congress protecting national parks and preserving them while keeping them accessible to tourists

Hyper pluralism and decentralized powers with fragmentation AND WHY WE DONT HAVE 1 AGENCY

Congressional committees would lose all jurisdiction of agencies if the agencies were merged with each other. Interest groups also don't want to give up the relationship with their agencies. Agencies themselves don't want to submerge in broad units. Since most bureaucratic units have harder and more responsible jobs, one umbrella entity would be hard. It is possible to quite re-organization, but the fragmentation disperses responsibility And allows agencies to work at cross purposes.

Congress creates

Each bureaucratic agency, sets the agency budget, and writes policies and administrators

Independent Executive Agencies

Essentially they are the rest of the government. They are the government agencies not accounted for by the cabinet department independent regulatory commissions, or government corporations. Their administration is appointed by the president and serve at the presidents pleasure. They have the largest budget and it includes 45 to 50 agencies Examples The general service administration: the governments landlord with building supplies and purchasing The national science foundation: to support scientific research NASA: the agency that takes a man to space

Examples of Independent Regulatory Commissions

FRB or Federal reserve board, governs banks and regulates supply of money and interest rates. NLRB or national Labour relations Board, regulates labor-management relations. FCC or federal communications commission, licenses radio and TV stations and regulates programs in public interest and interstate long distance phone calls cable and Internet FTC or federal trade commission, regulates business practice, controls monopolistic behavior and the accuracy of advertisements SEC or security and exchange commission, they police the stock market

Lack of Authority

For example the FDA doesn't test on their own and they rely on the test results of manufacturers. They also lack access to company documents. Some agencies even feel to exercise authority they have for example mine safety and health administration can close dangerous minds but they do this rarely. Many policies are also implemented by state and local governments like schools and federal governments can only indirectly Influence Thus, bureaucrats are more likely to request educate and negotiate over issue orders and institute legal proceedings

Top of civil service system GS rating

GS 16-GS 18 The senior civil service

Max Weber

German sociologist, created the concept of bureaucracy as a rational way of modern society with a hierarchal structure Power flows from top to bottom and responsibility from bottom to top. The bureaucracy must use task specialization, so experts perform jobs and have rules. They can be extreme, but allows cases of similarity to be handled similarly. bureaucracies operate on merit principles Bureaucracies are also impersonal... treating all clients impartially

Independent regulatory commissions

Government agencies with the responsibility for making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest in some sector of the economy and for judging disputes over these rules. They are called the alphabets soup of the government because they are known for their initials. Each is governed by a small number of commissioners of 5 to 10. They are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for fixed terms. President can't fire independent regulatory commissioners as easily as the cabinet members or White House staff they need a specific charge against that person

Benefits of Regulation

Government regulations, cleaner air, lower lead in our blood, safer mine conditions, higher survival rate in infants

Charles Guiteau

He was an office seeker who ended the patronage spoil system in 1881 by killing President Garfield.

Voting rights act of 1965 as a successful implementation

Implementation can be affective if there is a clear goal and resources available. And congress decided to respond to discrimination of African-American voters in the deep south with the voting rights act of 1965. They outlawed literacy tests and other tests that were used to discriminate African-American registrants. Congress also singled out six states in order the Justice Department to send the federal registrar to each state county with states of qualified voters. They also said that if you interfere with the registrar there would be severe penalty. Can congress also clearly stated that the Attorney General had to implement this act and he dispatched hundreds of registrars. Within 7 1/2 months 300,000 new African-American voters were on rolls. This number increased from 43% to 66%. Although southern representatives and senators were mad and filibuster to delay this act, it was successful... The goal was clear, the implementation was straightforward, the authority of the registrar and Attorney General was clear, and the power was concentrated in the justice department.

The real work of a Cabinet department is done

In Bureaus ( Service, office, administration) Divide work in specialized areas

Death of an iron triangle

Iron triangles me dominate for many decades but are not indestructible. Examples include the nuclear power, tobacco, and pesticide iron triangles.

The US economy

Is a free enterprise unfettered by government intervention. In 1887 the federal government and no regulations policies but the few that they did make wire from state and local authority

If there was one agency

It leads to onerous Regulations, recalls, and fines. It might not be as rigorous and it would be weaker.

Death of the nuclear power triangle

It was heavily funded and important until Fukushima, 3 mile Island, and Chernobyl. Experts involved lost control, critics were unsure of a policy, there was a major political debate, and environmentalist opposed which killed two legs of the triangle. Therefore, Congress got rid of their committee and added regulatory committees and the department of energy to help with this. A wave of environmental concerns swept the most powerful triangle. However today gas concerns many environmental list so the nuclear power industry could revive with regulations from Congress bureaucracies and interest groups

firing civil servants

It's hard and rare. The employees are entitled to appeal in the process can take up to two years. Because of this, many agencies have decided to tolerate incompetence, assigning them trivial or no duties, rather than invest their resources in the task of discharging them

Presidents considerations on candidates

Many presidents placed personal loyalty and commitment to the programs as part of the evaluation process of bureaucratic positions especially with high priority administrators. The White House wants bureaucrats who are responsive to their policies

Diversity of bureaucratic jobs

Mirrors the diversity of private sector jobs. Accountants bakers economist electrician zoologist truck drivers radiologists all work for the government

Presidents looking for new administrators

New presidents launch a nationwide search for qualified people with talent, political skills, and sympathy. They try to ensure diversity and balance in positions regarding race ethnicity region and party differences. Some of the positions will go to large campaign contributors but most will be political appointees who are called in and outers, who stay a little and leave

Two ideas of the bureaucracy

One hand, the bureaucracy is growing out of control, constantly trying to expanded size budget and authority with senseless regulations On the other hand, the bureaucracy is hard-working individuals with great odds to for fill all the missions assigned to them.

Patronage

One of the key inducements used by party machines up until over a century ago. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone. SPOIL SYSTEM

Pendleton Civil Service Act

Passed in 1883 by Chester Arthur, the vice presidents known as the prince of patronage, to create a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage

Why the merit system matters today

People are protected by it and are protected from losing their jobs based on their political views. If the president were to appoint bureaucrats, they'd be more responsive to the president and less qualified to serve the publics interest

How patronage works

People secured their jobs by working on congressional campaigns, donating large quantities, and connections to other individuals in the government. 19th-century presidents often staffed the government with friends and allies

Fragmentation

Policy disbursed in several bureaucratic units. The resources in authority that the president needs to attack and issue was distributed among many bureaucratic units. Agencies failed to connect the dots with information disbursed and it's hard to coordinate so many agencies This sparked crisis like the BP oil spill, which caused Obama to issue an executive order to create an umbrella entity of different agencies to work together

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Procedures for everyday decision making that enable bureaucrats to bring efficiency and uniformity to the running of complex organizations. Uniformity promotes fairness and makes personnel interchangeable.

After probation. Civil servants are

Protected by civil service system. How do you think civil servants are overprotected and sheltered, but with the civil service system they are protected from the dismissal of good cause

Bureaucratic difficulty

Shortness of staff, imports from out of the country, contamination, inspecting less than 2% of imports

Why don't we fix the lack of resources?

Some prefer an ineffective bureaucracy, like coal mine owners polluters and bankers There's also a scarcity in bureaucratic budgets. Urges policymakers to give services to the public to ensure that bureaucracies have more programs than adequate resources For example Congress expanded the FDA's requirement of inspect chins without an increase of budget

Bureaucratic resources matter

Some say bureaucracies are too small. An increase in resources would increase the government quality of service and the agencies ability to implement congressional and presidential policy

The iron triangle

Subgovernments. They are mutually dependent and advantageous relationships between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional subcommittees and committees. They dominate some areas of domestic policy making. What example is the tobacco triangle The lack of involvement of Congress and the White House causes the iron triangle to flourish and add strong decentralizing in fragmenting elements to policymaking. It's a cozy relationship with the bureaucracy congressional committees and subcommittees and interest groups.

administrative discretion

The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem. Discretion is greatest when routines, or standard operating procedures, do not fit a case. This is common even with elaborate rules and regulations of agencies. With discretion, leaders provide incentives to encourage employees to behave a certain way but these in the public sector are rare and The pay raise is small. And government agencies can't just expand because it does a service well. With an absence of positive and negative incentive, the government relies on rules To limit discretion but these rules create obstacles

Controlling the Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy is large and requires watching. The president and Congress must make the bureaucracy responsive to elected officials and the public

federal bureaucracy

The federal bureaucracy consists of the roughly 500 departments, agencies, administrations, authorities, and commissions that carry out responsibilities assigned to them through Congressional legislation.

Cabinet Departments

The fifteen largest and most influential agencies of the federal bureaucracy. Chosen by the president And approved by the Senate The undersecretary, Deputy undersecretary, and assistant secretary all report to Them. Each department has its own area, budget, staff, and a unique mission and organization.

Merit principal

The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.

Deregulation

The lifting of government restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities. The number of regulations and regulation complexity becomes complex and burdensome

Issue networks

The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas. They lied to the widespread participation and bureaucratic policymaking. They are people with emotional and intellectual commitment rather than material interest

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process. The President appoints the director and is confirmed by the Senate.

Most agencies are responsive to

The president, who's responsibility is to take care of laws which shall be faithfully executed

Policy Implementation

The stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy ( legislative act, executive order, or judicial decision) And the results of the policy for the people affected

Government Regulation

The use of government authority to control and change some practices in the private sector. Regulations by the government provide Americans lives in the lives of business university hospitals and others. The most controversial role of bureaucracies is regulations.

Once appointees are in office...

There is a government of strangers, described by Hugh Heclo. The average assistant secretary or undersecretary last in the job for less than two years. And few top officials stay long enough to know their subordinates

Appeals for minorities who are fired

They are based on anti-discrimination statutes, which makes the dismissal even harder. So the president tries to seek more control of federal employees For example George W. Bush propose to limit the job protection in the department of homeland security, while Congress agreed the process was slow and Upset the employee unions

Why independent regulatory commissions matter today

They are designed to be insulated from political influence. They're independent and less responsive to the president and Congress to provide the potential of taking a Wide range of views and acting on public interest

Bureaucrats as regulators

They have a large power from Congress. They must first developed rules or guidelines, and consult with the people and industries being regulated. Then the bureaucratic agencies must apply in force guidelines in court or their own administrative procedures. Sometimes they wait for complaints or other times they require applications of permits and licenses. The government agencies and take violators to court

Bureaucracies as implementors

They implement policy and take congressional presidential and judicial pronouncements and develop procedures and rules to implement their policy goals and manage the governments routines

plumbook appointees

They may have a sign of power, but many have a hard time exercising control of subordinates and leaving policy marks. This is because they are dependent on the senior civil servants that are there longer, know more, and outlast them.

critics of deregulation

They say it's not in the United States best interest, and they blame deregulation for the 2007 and 2008 real estate bubble, the California power shortage of 2001

Bureaucracies as scapegoats

This is a popular pastime. Critics say that bureaucracies are complicated, we spoke, and over regulate the US economy. This decreases our productivity. However this is a myth

Politics in action: regulating food

Who ushers food safety? Bureaucrats they keep it safe from contamination. Bureaucrats are the most important to the regulatory functions of the government and they are successful because we rarely need to think about them or the agencies. There's a Web federal agencies with overlap jurisdiction... Example is food safety agencies change based on if the egg is cracked or in the shell. Other governmental figures play a role like agencies in the executive office building in departments.

Agencies have a hard time controlling bureaucracies

Why? Because their ties to Interest groups and congressional committees

Bureaucrats have discretion

With carrying out policy decision, causing interest groups to try to get involved with them. And they have power that extends to every corner of the US economy and social lives. But are not painted out in the constitution

Why the best laid plans flunk implementation test

Your high expectations until the implementation is broken down. Why? 1. Program design 2. Lack of clarity 3. Lack of resources 4. Lack of authority 5. Administrative routine 6. Administrators disposition 7. Fragmentation

How the Federal Bureaucracy is Organized

cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, independent executive agencies

Privatization

process of converting government enterprises into privately owned companies. Privatization is a movement that was used to reinvent the government in the 1980s. It's decentralized agency authority and increased room for innovations as well as gave performance incentives through market competition with private contractors which could bid to give government services. Basically, private contractors became like the fourth branch of the national government spending Half of $1 trillion every year. Privatization increased with the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. Essentially, the government can't operate without contractors who handle crisis and they don't have to expand bureaucracy. These private contractors get specialized skills that the government lacks and are favored because the bureaucracy is slow inflexible and incompetent. Contractors also gave government officials bragging rights for cutting federal work forces and increasing the number of people working for the government.