Monday, November 24, 2008

11/24/08 Period 4

Chapter 13
Development of a bureaucratic state
1) Bureaucracy- large, complex organizations in which employees have very specific job responsibilities, work within hierarchy of authority, and follow extensive formal rules.
A) Consists of departments, agencies, bureaus, offices and other unites that administer nation's laws an policies.
B) Employees known as bureaucrats.
C) Manner in which organized is how well they are able to accomplish tasks.
D) Purpose of studying bureaucracy centers around finding solutions to many kinds of problems face by large government organizations
2) Government grew a lot during 20th century
A) Science and technology: advances in science and technology lead to new jobs (NASA formed)
B) Business regulation: free market economy leads to more regulation needed, jobs formed
C) Social welfare: government provides income security and social services, jobs formed
D) Ambitions administrators: top agency officials look for new ways to help clients leading to new programs needing more staff
3) Movement toward reducing size of bureaucracy
A) Difficult as people protect programs that serve them (advocates)
B) National government reduces number of bureaucrats employed without reducing government programs
1) Contracting programs out to private employers
C) Efforts at budget cutting reflect the tension between majoritarian and pluralism
1) Broader public wants to reduce the size of government but those who benefit from specific government programs organize into interest groups and mobilize their resources to protect programs and agencies they value
Bureaus and Bureaucrats:
1) By Examining basic types of government organizations we can better understand how executive branch works
A) 15 Executive (Cabinet) Departments
1) Largest units of executive branch
2) Headed by secretaries (defense, health, human services)
- Because President's policy goals conflict with institutional goals of individual cabinet-level agency
- Cabinet members do not have a dominant influence on Presidential decision-making
- Presidents rely on White House staff
B) Independent regulatory services are not part of cabinet department
1) Structured as regulatory commissions (FCC, ICC, SEC) and formed to guard against unfair business practices
2) Governed by small commissions (5-10 members appointed by President and confirmed by Senate, cannot be removed by President)
C) Government corporations perform services that theoretically could be handled by private sector (USPS, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Amtrak) but Congress believes public is better served if corporations have some link to federal government
D) Independent executive agencies resemble cabinet departments but are smaller and less complex
1) Narrower areas of responsibilities
2) Most subject to Presidential control
3) Independent in sense that they are not part of a department

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