AV- Growth of Government

AV- Growth of Government

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The Roots of Bureaucracy Foreign Affairs, War, Treasury were first departments.

Growth in early 1800s with Post Office.

Patronage and the spoils system become common.

Civil War spawns another expansion. Creates department of Agriculture

Pendleton Act (Chester A. Arthur) is beginning of modern civil service

system

Also known as merit system, requiring exam and hiring based on merit

Teddy Roosevelt creates department of Labor and Commerce, 1903

Creation of independent regulatory commissions. (ICC, FDA, etc)-to

regulate abuses of business

Passage of 16th Amendment (Income tax) during Progressive era allows for

expansion

? Are these early expansions necessary?

Twentieth-Century Bureaucracy

Growing number of cabinet departments.

Need for a larger government to support wars.

New Deal- To combat failings of laissez-faire

capitalism, FDR created hundreds of new regulatory

agencies

LBJ- Great Society (HUD, Dept of Transportation, EEOC)

Figure 9.1- Civilian Employment

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Modern Bureaucracy More than 2.7 million employees.

Most are selected based on merit- 90%. The other 10% are

appointed policy making positions

Also have high-level appointees- Cabinet heads must go through

Senate approval process- “advise and consent”

Wide variety of skills represented.

Less diverse than America.

Scattered throughout D.C. and regional offices.

Growth of outside contractors in recent years, esp. in

Conservative administrations

Figure 9.2- Employee Characteristics

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Figure 9.3- Agency Regions

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Formal Organization 4 types of Agencies

1. Cabinet departments handle broad, lasting issues-15 total

Headed by secretaries-confirmed by Senate

2. Government corporations act like businesses- (eg. Amtrak, TVA)

3. Independent executive agencies handle services (NASA, EPA)

Narrower than Cabinet department, independent.

4. Independent regulatory commissions watch industry (OHSA,

NLRB, SEC, FCC)

Designed to be free from partisan pressure- not replaced when new

President enters office

Figure 9.4- The Executive Branch

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Government Workers and Politics

Hatch Act sets first boundaries (1939)- prevents civil

servants from working on partisan political

campaigns, making political contributions, working for

a party and for campaigning

Federal Employees Political Act is current standard

(1993)- liberalized the Hatch Act- civil servants now

allowed to run for office in nonpartisan campaigns

and to contribute money to partisan campaigns

Table 9.1- FEPA

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Characteristics of Bureaucracy

Chain of command from top to bottom.

Division of labor.

Clear lines of authority.

Goal orientation.

Merit system.

Judged by productivity.

The workings of the BureaucracyIron Triangles/Issue Networks

Congress creates Bureaucratic agencies and funds them.

Main job is of Agencies is implementation of laws- Process of agencies

making rules on industry, spending $ appropriating and executing

executive wishes.

Policy concerning issues are made in iron triangles or issue networks

(stable relationships between Bureaucratic agencies, Interest

groups/business, and congressional committees)

Example of Iron Triangle of Social Security spending

Interest group-AARP, Pharmaceutical Companies

Congressional Committee- House committee on aging

Bureaucratic Agency- Social Security Administration, Department

of HHS

Figure 9.5- An Iron Triangle

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The Iron Triangle (Issue Network) of Tobacco

Making Policy Administrative discretion allows a lot of latitude- laws

written vaguely with many compromises- allows

agencies flexibility in implementation

Rule-making is a quasi-legislative process- has the

force of law, printed in Federal Register and take effect

30 days after printing.

Formal procedure for making regulations.

Administrative adjudication is quasi-judicial process-

independent judges hear arguments for the agency

Used to settle disputes between two parties.

Agency Accountability Unclear who agencies should be accountable to.

Presidents try to make the right appointments.

Can also shape policy through executive orders.

Congress can use oversight powers (usually hearings)

and funding (power of the purse).

Judiciary can review regulations.

Figure 9.6- Rulemaking

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Table 9.2- Agency Accountability

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