The Bureaucracy Flashcards
What are the negatives of the bureaucracy?
- unnecessary paperwork and regulations
- wasteful, inefficient
What does the bureaucracy do?
- the main job is to implement or carry out laws & policies
- part of the executive branch
- non-elected
- agencies, administrations, etc.
It’s organized into? + examples
- departments
- agencies
- commissions
ex. department of education, centers for disease control and prevention, FDA
Descibe cabinet departments.
- 15 executive departments
- headed by “secretary” cabinet members
- advise and operate specific policy area
agencies
- subunits in each department
- agency: IRS, department: Treasury
Commissions
- an independent body of 5-7 members (a “Board”)
- serve terms
- a president cannot replace them
- Ex. Federal Reserve Board
Roles of the bureaucracy
- writing and enforcing regulations
- enforcement and fines
- testifying before congress
- iron triangles & issue networks
pendleton civil service act (1883)
an attempt to make federal appointments merit-based, not patronage-based
civil service commission
a bi-partisan group who ensure a candidate qualifys for a job and aren’t requires to make campaign contributions
civil service reform act
created fair standards for dismissal,m merit, diversity, and presidential control
office of personnel management
replaced the civil service commission
- stronger merit based requirements
national performance review
1993 overhaul under Clinton to make the bureaucracy more functional
delegated discretionary authority
the power to interpret legislation and create rules
administrative procedures act (APA)
guidelines for agencies to make rules/procedures that are transparent and fair
congressional regulation
- members of congress are elected
- they must oversee the authority of agencies (non-elected) to prevent abuse
implementing the law
Discretional Authority allows agency experts to determine laws and best actions
code of federal regulations
all laws and regulations made by agencies are recorded in the Federal Register
Independent Regulatory Agencies
regulatory agencies have board members that keep a term despite a change in the presidency
congressional oversight
- congressional committees “check & balance” the authority of agencies
- ex. the senate committee on agriculture, nutrition, and forestry oversees the national parks service
power of the purse
appropriations committees authorize how much money goes to each agency every year
office of information and regulatory affairs
the president can review bureaucratic regulations to see if they comply with the president’s agenda
policy challenges
acting on the president’s interests, agencies enforce compliance monitoring
compliance monitoring
ensuring that industries within their realm are complying with regulations
committee clearance
congress reserves the authority to review and approve agency actions
legislative veto
-congressional attempt to control agencies
- in the 1980s it was declared unlawful as it violated checks and balances
competition in the executive branch
- agencies act in competition with one another
- creates a lack of cooperation
whistleblower protection act
prohibits a federal agency from retaliating against a “whistleblower”
judicial review
- allows the courts to have a check on agency unlawfulness
- the us circuit court of appeals takes most civil cases dealing with agencies
- interpretation is difficult because of agencies discretionary authority bestowed by congress
