OConnor and Sabato, Chapter 8: The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy

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OConnor and Sabato,Chapter 8 The Executive
Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy

• Presentation 8.2 The Modern Bureaucracy

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Key Topics

• The Modern Bureaucracy
• The Formal Organization of the Federal
  Bureaucracy
• Who are Bureaucrats?
• Politics and Government Workers

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The Modern BureaucracyProblems with the Spoils
System

• Very inefficient system of policy implementation
• Many bureaucratic employees were quite good, but
  rarely were able to stay on the job long enough
  to develop any expertise
• Panic reigned during election seasons

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1i. Problems with Spoils

• Henry Clay govt. officials after an election
  were like the inhabitants of Cairo when the
  plague breaks out no one knows who is next to
  encounter a death stroke

Henry Clay (1777-1852). Picture courtesy Encarta.
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1a. The Pendleton Act

• Passed by reformist Democrats Republicans in
  the wake of James Garfields assassination
• Established the principle of merit in federal
  hiring

Sen. George H. Pendleton (1825-1889). Picture
courtesy www.bioguide.congress.gov.
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1ai. The Pendleton Act cont.

• Required open, competitive examinations of
  prospective candidates
• Created a bipartisan three-member Civil Service
  Commission
• The law initially only covered around 10 of
  positions
• Extended to cover over 90 of all federal
  employees

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1b. The Problem of Bureaucratic Politics

• Federal workers have tenure, and the influence of
  politicians over the bureaucracy is reduced
• Bureaucrats can become obstacles to reform
• Professional bureaucrats often become
  conservative and risk-averse

Its easier to fire a federal employee for
misconduct than for incompetence.
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1c. Why Government is Not Run Like a
BusinessGovernment
Businesses

• Exist for the public good
• Motivated to win reelection
• Extract money from tax payers
• To whom are bureaucrats responsible?

• Exist to make money
• Motivated by profit
• Extract money from customers
• Responsible to investors customers

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2. The Formal Organization of the Federal
Bureaucracy

• At least 1,149 civilian agencies
• OSHA handles occupational safety, the State Dept.
  handles foreign policy, and the EPA handles the
  environment
• Many agencies have authority in the same issue
  areas

As the bureaucracy has gotten larger, one
significant problem is fragmentation, which
refers to the difficulty bureaucratic agencies
have in coordinating policy w/ other agencies.
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2a. The Cabinet Departments

• Major administrative units responsible for
  implementing policy in broad issue areas
• Account for around 60 of the federal workforce
• VP, Dept. heads, heads of the EPA, OMB, Office
  of National Drug Control Policy US Trade
  Representative make up the formal cabinet

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2ai. Where You Stand Depends on Where you
SitCabinet Secretaries

• Appointed by the president
• However, often perceived as serving multiple
  masters
• President
• Bureaucratic agency its constituents
• Congress
• Secretaries must walk a delicate path to avoid
  alienating any of these groups

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2aii. Common Features

• Each department covers a broad area of
  responsibility usually reflected in its name
  (e.g. Defense)
• Secretaries are assisted by one or more deputies
• Most departments are separated into bureaus

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2aiii. Organizational Chart for the Department of
StateFrom www.state.gov.
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2aiv. Clientele Agencies

• Departmental status usually indicates a enduring
  national interest in promoting a particular
  function
• Many departments are also intended to service the
  interests of a particular clientele
• Examples include Agriculture, Education, Energy,
  Labor, and Veterans Affairs

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2b. Independent Regulatory Commissions

• Designed to function outside the Cabinet
  departments to regulate a specific economic
  activity
• Intended to develop expertise and provide
  continuity of policy
• Examples include the National Labor Relations
  Board, the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal
  Communications Commission, and the Securities
  Exchange Commission (SEC)

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2c. Independent Executive Agencies

• Resemble Cabinet departments but usually have a
  narrower area of responsibility
• Usually are independent for symbolic reasons
  (e.g. NASA)
• In addition to NASA, examples include the
  Environmental Protection Agency

Most heads of independent executive agencies are
appointed by the president. Many require Senate
confirmation.
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2d. Government Corporations

• Businesses created by Congress that perform
  functions that could be provided by private
  businesses
• Often provide services that help promote economic
  stability
• Examples include AMTRAK, the U.S. Postal Service,
  and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

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2di. Sallie Mae Government Corporation

• Created under the Federal Family Educational Loan
  Program in 1973
• Service 1/3 of all outstanding student loans
• Sallie Mae is in the process of privatizing

Information provided at www.salliemae.com.
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3. Who are Bureaucrats?

• Approximately 1.78 million federal workers in the
  executive branch
• Paid according to the General Schedule
• At lower levels, candidates must take
  examinations to determine qualifications
• Protected by the merit system from being fired
  for political reasons

That figure excludes postal workers and
uniformed military personnel.
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3a. The Remaining 10

• Appointive Policy Makers 600 persons subject to
  Senate confirmation
• Independent Regulatory Commissioners 100 persons
  who become independent upon taking office
• Schedule C Positions Assistants or advisers to
  Senate-confirmed positions

At one time, local postmasters were major
patronage/reward jobs. In 1971, Congress
reorganized the Postal Service and removed such
jobs from the patronage pool.
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3b. The Number of Federal Employees in the
Executive Branch
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3c. Bureaucratic Diversity

• Government jobs vary in complexity, technical
  expertise, etc.
• Largely reflect the racial, ethnic and gender
  composition of the US
• However, women are underrepresented
• Only about 11 of all federal employees work in
  the nations capital

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3ci. Is the Federal Bureaucracy Growing Larger
Each Year?

• No efforts to reduce the size of the federal
  bureaucracy have worked
• However, state and local bureaucracies have
  gotten larger
• Much downsizing has occurred through outsourcing
  jobs to private competitors

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4. Politics and Government Workers

• Fears during the New Deal that the federal
  bureaucracy would become politicized
• The Hatch Act (1939) designed to prevent federal
  employees from becoming directly involved in
  working for political candidates

The Hatch Act barred federal employees from
making political contributions, working for a
particular party, or campaigning for a particular
candidate.
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4a. Critics of the Hatch Act

• Argued it was too extreme
• Denied millions of federal workers 1st Amendment
  rights
• Discouraged political participation among people
  who otherwise might meaningfully participate in
  public discourse

The primary target of the Hatch Act is military
personnel, who possess a monopoly on the use of
coercion.
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4b. The Federal Employees Political Activities
Act (1993)

• Liberalized the Hatch Act
• Allowed federal employees to contribute to
  political organizations campaign for election
  in nonpartisan elections
• Bureaucrats can also campaign for or against
  candidates in partisan elections

Clinton the law will mean more responsive, more
satisfied, happier, and more productive federal
employees.