Chapter 7: The Bureaucracy Flashcards
Bureaucracy
The vast, hierarchal organization of executive branch employees that help administer laws Congress has passed. The bureaucracy focuses on specific areas of interest or policy.
- 3 million are executive branch employees. Most work in white-collar
3 basic principles of a bureaucracy
- Those at the top have authority over those below
- Each worker has defined duties and responsibilities; a division of labor among workers
- Regulations must be followed
Bureaucracy characteristics
- Administration of government through departments
- Consists of unelected, highly trained individuals
- Task specialization
Functions of the federal bureaucracy
- Implementation: Carry out the laws of Congress, executive orders of the president, and the courts
- Administration: Routine administrative work, provides services
- Regulation: Issues rules and regulations that impact the public
How can policy implementation fail?
- Faulty program design
- Lack of clarity in the laws
- Lack of staff
- Lack of resources
**Implementation works when goals are clear
Regulators
- Establish and enforce guidelines
- First regulatory agency was created by Congress in 1887: Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that regulated railroads
Structure of the bureaucracy
- Cabinet departments
- Executive office of the president
- Independent executive agencies
- Independent regulatory commissions
- Government corporations
Cabinet departments
- 15 departments headed by a cabinet head appointed by the president and approved by the Senate
- Each department experts in specific policy area
- Each department has its own budget
- Department of Homeland Security is the newest department
Executive office of the president
- Office of Management and Budget
- National Security Council
- Council of Economic Advisors
Independent Executive Agencies
- Established by Congress with separate status outside of the executive branch
- Given a specific mandate and generally perform a service function, not a regulatory one
- NASA, CIA, EPA, etc.
Independent Regulatory Commissions
- IRCs exist to regulate specific economic activities or interests
- IRCs operate independently from Congress and the president
- Once appointed and seated, members cannot be removed without cause
Iron triangle
A concept that committees in Congress, federal departments and agencies, and think tanks and interests groups all work together to develop and conserve their own power, and expand their political influence
Compliance monitoring
Ensuring that firms and companies that are subject to industry regulations follow those standards and provisions
Issue networks
Network that consists of people in interest groups, on congressional staffs, in bureaucratic agencies, in universities, and in the media who regularly debate an issue
Merit system
A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage
Patronage
The practice involving rewarding loyal political party leaders with federal jobs, usually practiced by the president
Spoils system
The practice of appointing regional and local postmakers in the many executive branch offices across the nation, expecting loyalty in return
Civil Service Commission
A commission created by the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883) that allows for oversight of the merit system and prevents officials from requiring federal employees to contribute to political campaigns
Civil Service Reform Act (1978)
An act that altered the way a bureaucrat is dismissed, limited preferences for veterans to balance the genders in federal employment, and put upper-level appointments back in the president’s hands
National Performance Review (NPR)
The Clinton-Gore Administration’s initiative to reform the way the federal government works
Office of Personnel Management
The system that runs the merit system and coordinates the federal application process
Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)
An act aimed at preventing the constant reward of federal jobs to loyal party members, and instead focusing in on a candidate’s skill and performance
Delegated discretionary authority
The power of the bureaucracy to interpret legislation and create rules from Congress
Rule-making authority
A bureaucratic agency’s ability to make rules that affect how programs operate, and to force states and corporations to obey these rules as if they were laws
Administrative Procedures Act (1946)
Law that guides bureaucratic agencies in developing procedures, while ensuring citizens and industries affected by policy can have input into shaping it
- Ex: Public meetings
3 ways the bureaucracy implements the law
- Creating agencies to pay subsidies to groups, such as farmers or social security groups
- Creating a system to distribute federal dollars to the states, such as grant programs
- Giving many federal offices the ability to devise and enforce regulations for various industries or issues, such as the FCC defining what is indecent for TV
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Independent regulatory agency responsible with administering and enforcing the federal campaign finance law
Code of Federal Regulations
The codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies
Department of Education
Federal executive division responsible for carrying out government education programs and policies
Department of Homeland Security
Federal agency responsible for protecting the USA against foreign attacks
Department of Transportation
Federal agency responsible for policy development and planning for all forms of transportation
Department of Veteran Affairs
Federal agency responsible for managing programs for veterans of the armed forces
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Federal agency responsible for administering the government’s environmental legislation
Federal Register
An official document that lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies
Notice-and-comment opportunity
A step in the rule-making process in which proposed rules are published in the Federal Register and made available for debate by the general public
Checks on the bureaucracy
- Congress can create federal agencies, define their roles, and set their budget
- Presidents can appoint leaders and ensure the organization executes its responsibilities
Congressional oversight of the bureaucracy
- House and Senate committees hold congressional oversight hearings to address agency action, inaction, or their relationship with the committee
- Power of the purse gives Congress the power to determine how much funding these organizations receive
Presidential oversight of the bureaucracy
- The president exerts authority and influence to ensure their ideology is delivered in policy, through the OIRA
- Presidents have used both formal and informal powers to make the bureaucracy work for the executive agenda
Appropriations
Funds set aside for a specific purpose
Authorization of spending
Legislative permission to begin or continue a government program or agency
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
Federal agency that reviews any regulations that have significant effects on society to see if they comply with the president’s agenda
Committee clearance
Congressional committees have the authority to approve and review certain agency actions in advance
Tension between the president and the bureaucracy
- Differing beliefs of the executive departments can create friction when a position or decision must be made
- The president’s goals may not take into account the legality or practicality of actions the bureaucracy can take
Whistleblower Protection Act (1989)
Act that prohibits a federal agency from retaliating or threatening an employee for disclosing acts that they believe were dishonest or illegal
Legislative veto
A former requirement that certain agency decisions must wait for a defined period of either 30 or 90 days, established by Congress in the 1930s
