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Day to day, the bureaucracy is the government |
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The existence of agencies (both initial and continued) is controlled by Congress and the President. |
| 1) Why Bureaucracy? |
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Bureaucracy refers to the actual offices, tasks and principles of organization employed in the most formal and sustained administration. |
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A) Bureaucratic Organization Enhances Efficiency |
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Hierarchical division of labor |
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Allocation of functions and responsibility |
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9/11 prompted public to be more supportive of larger bureaucracy |
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B) Bureaucrats Fulfill Important Roles |
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Bureaucrats implements laws |
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Bureaucrats make and enforce rules |
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Bureaucrats settle disputes |
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C) Politics: Legislatures find it valuable to delegate |
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It is common practice for legislatures to express their intent towards a certain action and to have that action fulfilled and supervised by the bureaucracy. |
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| 2) How is the Executive Branch Organized? |
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Cabinet Departments, led by Secretaries |
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Independent Agencies |
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Government Corporations |
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Independent Regulatory Commissions |
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A) Clientele Agencies Serve Particular Interests |
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Departments whose mission is to promote, serve, or represent a particular interest |
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Examples include the departments of Agriculture, Interior, Labor, and Commerce |
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Large proportion of staff are in the field, dealing directly with clientele |
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B) Agencies for Maintenance of the Union Keep the Government Going |
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Control sources of governmental revenue |
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Maintain internal security |
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Defend American security externally |
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Examples include Treasury, State, Justice, and Defense |
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C) Regulatory Agencies Guide Individual Conduct |
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Agencies that eliminate or restrict certain behaviors defined as evil in themselves or evil in their consequences |
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Examples include Food and Drug Administration, Health and Human Services, and Federal Trade Commission |
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D) Agencies of Redistribution Implement Fiscal, Monetary, and Welfare Policies |
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Fiscal and Monetary Agencies |
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Welfare Agencies |
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Examples include the Federal Reserve System and the Social Security Administration |
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| 3) The Problem of Bureaucratic Control |
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Bureaucracy is un-elected and potentially unaccountable |
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A) Bureaucrats Have Their Own Motivational Considerations |
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Niskanen proposed that bureaucrats be considered as "budget maximizers." They are motivated by salary, prestige, and belief in their agency's mission. |
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B) Control of the Bureaucracy Is a Principal-Agent Problem |
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Agents can be controlled by either before-the-fact or after-the-fact mechanisms. Congress seeks to guard against bureaucratic drift. |
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Before-the-fact mechanisms include the appointment process and procedural controls |
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After-the-fact controls include police patrol and fire alarm oversight |
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C) The President as Chief Executive Can Direct Agencies |
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Expansion of the government size helped create the "managerial" presidency |
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Recent Presidents have had differing managerial "styles" |
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D) Congress Can Promote Responsible Bureaucracy through Oversight and Incentives |
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Agencies have many constituents, including the president, courts, interest groups, and Congress |
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Congressional oversight holds agencies accountable, both through their power to make or change laws, and also through appropriations |
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| 4) How Can Bureaucracy Be Reduced? |
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Currently 2.63 million civilian and 1.46 million military employees |
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Government is very close to the size it was in the late 1960's, and the cost of government has not grown faster than the economy |
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Nonetheless, most Americans argue that government is too big and should be reduced |
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Bureaucracy can be reduced through termination, privatization and devolution |
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A) Termination |
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Termination is difficult, because the public is attached to the services government provides and doesn't want their favorite programs to be cut |
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Deregulation saves little money but the reduction of rules is often popular |
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B) Privatization |
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Provision of goods and services through private contractors often means fewer government workers, but similar services are still provided at a similar cost and the programs are still paid for and supervised by the government. |
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C) Devolution |
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Delegates the implementation of policy to the states, whether through block grants or through unfounded mandates |
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States provide more variety in provision of services, which can mean strong innovation or else mean substandard provision by some states |
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