Julio, Alloe WK2 Key Ideas 1- Problems of Administrative Structure: United States (Peters, pages 137-139) According to Peters (138) there is a wide array of types of organizations in the United States bureaucracy. Among them, the Department of Defense stands out due to its size and organizational structure. The DoD composition of a military and a civilian workforce can be a clear representation of bureaucratic and political administrative structures. The military workforce tends to be representative of a more political approach. This is because military members have short term positions within various DoD agencies in order to network for their next assignment. In addition, since the military workforce takes a more nomadic approach because they have term limits to their assignments. In contrast, the civilian workforce tends to follow a more bureaucratic structure by providing a more sedentary workforce. This provides a sense of constancy to the department. Both workforces support the same objective, but their responsibilities vary in nature. Bureaucracy and Interest Groups (Peters, pages 169-171) Peters (169) opens this section establishing that the decisions stemming from the conflict between “…the demands of interest groups and the role of bureaucracy…” as a cornerstone of government. In other words, intervention by bureaucrats is essential for the government to function. Interest groups intervene in the decision-making process to instigate and point government servants toward their group goals. Lobbyists tend to be skilled operators representing special interest groups. They have the tools and know-how of the legislative process in order to gather support from government servants. Their goal is generally to make cater to their special interest group by influencing slight changes to bills prior to becoming law. These changes to laws tend to benefit the special interest group represented. A recent example of special interest groups in the news are some of the communities following Colorado’s legalization of marijuana. This has led to an energized debate of the pros and cons of marijuana legalization in many states. The debates are generally composed of new tax revenue, the cost of regulation, enforcement, and public safety. 3- Competition among Agencies (Peters, pages 202-204) Another intriguing concept presented by Peters (203) is that of bureaucratic competition. Peters argues that this type of competition may affect government performance and/or lack of coherence. Agencies generally have to compete or meet goals set by their directorate or manager. Ultimately, many government agencies need to justify their existence and/or demonstrate their need for money for future budgets. As a continuation of the example of the legalization of marijuana, there are a handful of government agencies competing and arguing for their own interests. For instance, the tax department seeks to get money out of taxes generated by ...