Paradoxes Review

1. Paradoxes Review

2. Imperial Presidency Review • Define the imperial presidency. • How do the following individuals fit into this framework: • Richard Nixon • George W. Bush • Barack Obama • Donald Trump

3. Bureaucracy A fourth branch of government?

4. Bureaucracy Federal Bureaucracy • Introduction • An Explanation • Specialized Experts • Checking Their Work

5. Bureaucracy • Large, complex organization of appointed, not elected, officials. • “bureau” – French for small desks, referring to the king’s traveling business men who set up small desks in town squares • Bureaucracy = “government of small desks”

6. Max Weber • Famous early 20th century economist, German • Bureaucracy – well organized, complex machine that is a “rational” way for society to organize its business • Developed characteristics of a bureaucracy

7. Weber Characteristics • Hierarchical authority structure – chain of command • Task specialization – individuals have unique jobs, division of labor • Extensive rules – clear policies for the organization to follow • Clear goals – clearly defined mission • Merit principle – hiring and promotion based on qualities, no jobs for favors • Impersonality – performance judged on productivity

8. Weber • Discussion Questions: • Why is this a good thing? • Why is this a bad thing? • Where else do you see elements of this type of structure?

9. Modern Bureaucracy • 1932-1945 – New Deal, WWII, increase in programs and gov’t work • 1950’s – 1970’s – 90% of all federal employees were chosen on merit • Salaries also chosen on merit

10. Who are bureaucrats? • Executive Departments are not the only part of Bureaucracy; Independent agencies carry out duties that executive departments do not. • There are over 70, divided into three types • Executive Agencies • Regulatory Commissions • Government Corporations

11. Organization • Cabinet Departments • Independent Executive Agencies • Regulatory Commissions • Government Corporations Create a resource that includes the term, definition, 6 word summary and 3 examples. You should know the similarities and differences between each.

12. Iron Triangles

13. How it works? • Everyone in the triangle has a similar interest • Legislatorsget funding from interest groups and make laws reality with the help of the bureaucracy • Interest groups provide valued information to bureaucrats and money to legislators • Bureau chiefs implement legislator policy and interest group goals.

14. A Review • A review of the bureaucracy from your favorite video series!!! • Bureaucracy: The Basics • Types of Bureaucracies • Controlling Bureaucracies

15. 1. Executive Agencies • Under direct control of President, who can choose and remove directors • Directors must be approved by Senate • Examples: • Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

16. 2. Regulatory Commissions • Formed by Congress • Each carries out rules for a certain business or economic activity • Members of commissions boards of directors appointed by President, approved by Senate • Examples: • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) • Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

17. 3. Government Corporations • Like private businesses because they try to make a profit • Provide public services that are too risky or expensive for private business • Examples: • U.S. Postal Service • Amtrak

18. What do bureaucrats do? • Discretionary action – have the power to execute laws and policies passed down by the president or congress. • Implementation – develop procedures and rules for reaching the goal of a new policy • Regulation – check private business activity • Munn v. Illinois (1877) – SC upheld that government had the right to regulate business rates and services

19. Accountability • Bureaucracy is constrained and controlled by the US government • Congress • appropriates money, authorizes the spending of money, oversees agency activity • President • Job appointments, executive orders, budget control, reorganize agencies

20. Who are bureaucrats? • 1 out of 100 Americans work for government bureaucracy • Cabinet: a presidential advisory group selected by the president made up of the vice president, the heads of the federal executive departments, and other high officials to whom the presidential elects to give cabinet status

21. Cabinet

22. Cabinet • Discussion: With your partner, come up with five issues and/or responsibilities of each cabinet department. • Complete the worksheet on cabinet responsibilities • Begin reading and annotating the article. If there is time, begin answering the questions on the next slide (do not complete for homework).

23. The Bureaucracy of…a pizza? Think about these aspects... …of a pizza Anchovies (seafood) Pepperoni Onions Delivery Vehicle Diet Soda • Cardboard Box • Tomato Sauce • Crust • Cheese • Mushrooms

24. The Bureaucracy Today • Indirect employment • Stable number of employees directly paid by US gov’t, but huge growth in employees who depend on US gov’t indirectly • Private firms, state and local agencies depend on federal funds • Discretionary authority has increased • The flexibility bureaucrats have to choose courses of action and make policies not spelled out by law

25. Three Areas of Authority • Subsidies to particular groups (farmers, veterans, schools, etc.) • Transferring money from federal gov’t to state and local gov’t (grant-in-aid programs) • Devising and enforcing regulations for segments of the economy

26. Recruitment and Retention • Merit System • Competitive service • People score high on written exam or fit specific criteria • Decentralized system (modern trends) • Old OMP (Office of Management Personnel) system was cumbersome • Greater need for professionals that were hard to rank • Civil rights groups pressed for racial composition to reflect America • White collar jobs more numerous

27. Recruitment and Retention • “Excepted Service” (about ½ of workers) • Employees hired outside competitive service, but still in a nonpartisan fashion • 3 percent appointed on grounds other than merit • Presidential appointments by statute • “Schedule C” appointments to jobs that are “confidential or policy-making in nature” • Non-career executive assignments; people deeply involved in President’s programs and policies

28. The Buddy System • Name-request job • Agencies identify someone they want to fill a job • Hirees typically capable of handling job • Shared policy views the key, not partisan affiliation • Circumvent the cumbersome search • “Old-boys network” • People who move in and out of government together

29. Firing a Bureaucrat • Elaborate System • Very difficult to fire a federal employee • Deny promotions • Transfer to other departments • Assign meaningless work

30. Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 • Recognized many top positions have important policy making responsibilities • Prez and Cabinet should have more flexibility in hiring, paying, firing employees • Created Senior Executive Service: 8,000 top federal managers could be given cash bonuses or fired • Did not work very well, hardly any member of SES was fired • Less than 1% had received an unsatisfactory rating

31. The Agency’s Point of View • Dominated by agency insiders • happens when agencies recruit using buddy system • Advantages • Most top bureaucrats are experts in their field, understand policies and procedures of agency • Lots of continuity within agencies no matter which party is in power • Disadvantages • Requires political appointees to win over career civil servants • Subordinates can make appointee’s life miserable if they disagree • Withhold information, delay action, leak info to the media or congress

32. Iron Triangles CONGRESS INTEREST GROUPS BUREAUCRACY Iron Triangle - three-way alliance among legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests

33. Iron Triangles

34. How it works? • Everyone in the triangle has a similar interest • Legislatorsget funding from interest groups and make laws reality with the help of the bureaucracy • Interest groups provide valued information to bureaucrats and money to legislators • Bureau chiefs implement legislator policy and interest group goals.

35. Why are they “iron”? • Strong – bond can’t be broken by President or Congress • Referred to as “sub governments,” all the real decisions are made among these 3 groups • Might maintain interests that might not be publicly popular… like what?

36. Example – Why is tobacco not illegal? House and Senate agricultural subcommittees Tobacco farmer interest groups (tobacco lobby) Department of Agriculture House and Senate representatives, sympathetic to tobacco, receive campaign funds and support from tobacco by interest groups, and the representatives make sure that tobacco farmers are defended through legislation. DOA agency executes the legislation while relying on the Congressional budget. The interest groups provide the DOA with valuable information to effectively execute laws. -COMMON INTEREST – Keep tobacco alive = keep their jobs alive

37. Other Iron Triangle Example

38. Issue Network • More complicated connection exists • Iron triangle too simple – there are IGs from opposite sides of an issue who compete • Issue Network – complex group (includes media) that debates an issue and slows policy-making • Policy-making is not as smooth with competing demands from IGs • President can appoint an agency head who steers policy, but can never smoothly control policy

39. Controlling the Bureaucracy • Patronage - Rewarding supporters with jobs • “Spoils system” – created by Andrew Jackson, each President turned over the bureaucracy • Pendleton Act (1883) - Created in response to criticism of patronage, more jobs will be selected based on merit • Hatch Act (1939) – agency employees can’t participate in political activities (elections, campaigns, fund raisers, etc.) • Softened in recent decades, 1st Amendment issues

40. Criticisms of Bureaucracy • “Red tape” – maze of gov rules, regulations, and paperwork that makes gov overwhelming to citizens • Conflict – agencies that often work toward opposite goals • Duplication – agencies appear to do the same thing • Unchecked growth – agencies expand unnecessarily at high costs • Waste – spending more than necessary • Lack of accountability – difficult in firing an incompetent bureaucrat

41. Bureaucratic “Pathologies” • Red Tape, Duplication, Conflict, Imperialism, Waste • Why do these exist? • Not because bureaucrats are incompetent, but because of nature of govt. itself (or any large organization) • Many are exaggerations • Congress is more inclined to add new programs instead of cut old ones • Hard to measure the benefits of government • Fixing waste requires more procedures and auditors, creating red tape

42. Reforming the Bureaucracy • National Performance Review • Led by VP Al Gore • Reinvent government • Centralized Control? • Most reforms consolidated power • Make it easier for president to control Bureaucracy

43. Reforming the Bureaucracy • Decentralize Control? • NPR emphasized customer satisfaction • Less centralized management • More employee initiative • Less rules • Why is it hard? • Most rules are a result of conflict between congress and the president • Rivalry makes bureaucrats nervous, so they come up with rules to avoid trouble • Easier if the bureaucracy accountable to one master, but could lead to bureaucrats becoming so powerful, they have no master

44. Do Bureaucrats Sabotage Their Political Bosses? • Leak embarrassing stories • Help interest groups mobilize • Delay work based on procedures • Loosely structured vs. Highly structured • Professionals in L.S. roles will be influenced by their attitudes and ideologies • Lower level bureaucrats in H.S. roles (filing forms, cutting welfare checks) won’t be as influenced

45. Do Bureaucrats Sabotage Their Political Bosses? • Example: Lawyers vs. Economists • Different roles will have different points of view as to what is important • In the FTC, lawyers look for cases they can win in court • Economists look for cases where the consumer is harmed

46. Constraints • Administrative Procedure Act (1946) • Before adopting a new rule or policy, an agency must give notice, solicit comments, and hold hearings • Freedom of Information Act (1966) • Citizens have the right to inspect all government records except those classified • National Environmental Policy Act (1969) • Before doing something affecting the environment, an agency must issue an environmental statement

47. Constraints • Privacy Act • Government files about individuals must be kept confidential • Open Meeting Law • Every part of every gov’t meeting must be open to the public

48. Constraints • Governments act slowly • Governments act inconsistently • Easier to block action • Reluctant to make decisions • Red Tape • Why so many constraints? • Because of “US” • Plethora of interest groups

49. Congressional Oversight • Constitutional Powers • No agency can exist without congressional approval • Authorization legislation • Permission to begin or continue a gov’t program or agency • States the maximum money that an agency can spend

50. Congressional Oversight • Appropriation • Legislative grant to finance a government agency • Often less that the amount authorized