The document discusses the structure and characteristics of bureaucracy in the United States government. It defines bureaucracy as large specialized organizations with clearly defined hierarchies. It describes the organizational structure of federal bureaucracy, including cabinet departments, independent agencies, independent regulatory commissions, and government corporations. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of bureaucracy, including standardization and expertise versus a lack of popular sovereignty and potential for political overreach.

1. The Bureaucracy

2. Bureaucracy Defined A large organization in which people with specialized knowledge are organized into a clearly defined hierarchy of bureaus and offices, each of which has a specific mission

3. Democratic? Bureaucrats are de facto policymakers Sometimes conduct judicial-style hearings IRS, not a court, determines penalties; you must prove innocence to the IRS Bureaucrats yield considerable responsibility, but are not subjected to elections

4. Organizational Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy Departments Independent Agencies Independent Regulatory Commissions Government Corporations

5. Cabinet Departments Originally 3 State, War, Treasury Homeland Security Most Recently Headed by Secretaries Appointed by the President with the “advice and consent of the Senate”

6. Departments State (1789) Treasury (1789) Defense (1947; formerly the War Department, created in 1789, and the Navy Department, created in 1798) Justice (1870; created in 1789 as Office of the Attorney General – a part-time position, made a cabinet level department in 1870) Interior (1849) Agriculture (1889) Commerce (1913) Labor (1913) Health and Human Services (1953 as Health, Education, and Welfare; reorganized with Education as a separate department in 1979) Housing and Urban Development (1965) Transportation (1966) Energy (1977) Education (1979) Veterans Affairs (1989) Homeland Security (2002)

7. Centralized? Departments are NOT centralized or monolithic Each has many sub-units with responsibilities Department of Justice FBI, DEA, ATF, US Marshals, Bureau of Prisons, etc

8. What is a Czar? A popular term used in reference to an official who is appointed to oversee a particular policy or issue Drug Counterterrorism Energy Climate

9. Czars Allows quicker action on important matters Criticism No “advice and consent of the Senate”

10. Number of Positions by President FDR 12 Truman 6 Eisenhower 1 Kennedy 0 Nixon 3 Reagan 1 GHW Bush 2 Clinton 7 GW Bush 35 Obama 38

11. Independent Agencies These agencies are independent from larger departments, but still under the control of the president.

12. Independent Agencies Currently ~ 50 NASA ~20,000 employees Little oversight responsibility

13. Independent Executive Agencies Not included in any departments, but are distinct from corporations and regulatory commissions Environmental Protection, Central Intelligence, National Science Foundation

14. Government Corporations These agencies are run by an independent board in the same way as a private corporation.

15. Government Corporations Perform an economically important activity Mostly self-supporting Postal Service, AMTRAK, Tennessee Valley Authority

16. Independent Regulatory Commissions While these agencies are run by “political” figures, they are independent of both the president and larger departments.

17. Regulatory Commissions Regulate where the free market does not work properly to protect the public interest FCC, FEC

18. The Advantages of Bureaucracy Standardization Expertise and Competence Coordination

19. Ideological Problems Lack of popular sovereignty Little incentive to be efficient Public Opinion not as important to bureaucrats Largely shielded from Congress, the President “ Captured” by interest groups, private firms

20. Political Liberty Red Scare DOJ’s “Red Squads” IRS used to harass critics Nixon most famous for this Bill O’Reilly audited four consecutive years under Clinton

21. Political Liberty FBI most notorious, especially under Hoover McCarthy witch hunts Cointelpro MLK

22. The Development of the Bureaucracy The Expansion of Federal Civil Employment

23. Shrinking Government “ Government is not the solution to our problems; it is the problem”

24. Patronage vs. Merit System Patronage System Government employees are hired and fired based on support for a political party or individual candidate. Merit System Government employees are hired based on their qualifications and cannot be fired arbitrarily for political reasons

25. Assassination of President Garfield

26. Patronage President Jackson “ To the victor goes the spoils” Problems Massive turnover every administration Pendleton Act curbed patronage