Bureaucracy Flashcards
(11 cards)
What are the three systems of bureaucratic appointments?
Patronage - jobs, contracts or favours given to political friends and allies
Spoils System - a system of government employment in which workers are hired on the basis of party loyalty
Civil Service - a system in which government employees are chosen according to their educational qualifications and work experience
What was the structure of the bureaucracy during the Federalist era?
For many decades, the federal government had few responsibilities
The problem of delegation (long distances, primitive communications) was met by choosing the right sort of people in the first place to serve as agents
Officials were sometimes required to post bonds of money or property that they would forfeit if they failed to perform their duties
Washington largely succeeded in establishing an honest and competent federal civil service
What was the significance of Jacksonian reforms to the bureaucracy?
President Jackson attempted to ‘democratise’ the bureaucracy to make it more representative of the government of the day
To support the growing party organisation, supporters needed to be provided with Federal jobs
This resulted in the politicisation of the bureaucracy
What was the significance of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883)?
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act provided for selection of some government employees by competitive exams rather than ties to politicians, and made it illegal to fire or demote some government officials for political reasons.
The act initially applied only to ten percent of federal jobs, but it allowed the president to expand the number of federal employees covered by the act.
By 1930s, the number had climbed to 80%, where it has remained relatively stable since
When did the size of the Federal government begin to expand?
After the Civil War, the federal government began expanding its activities and personnel, and that trend, with few exceptions, has continued on with steady growth and dramatic increases during the New Deal period.
It continued to grow until 1990, when it then underwent a steady decline until the onset of the war on terrorism.
What have been some more recent methods of politicising the bureaucracy?
Centralisation
Politicising through appointment
Organisational restructuring/insulation of the bureaucracy
Define bureaucracy
A system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time)
What are regulatory commissions?
Commissions headed by bipartisan boards charged with developing, implementing, and adjudicating policy in their area of responsibility
What is the leverage of the legislative branch over the bureaucracy?
The legislature grants or refuses new programs and funding, confirms nominees, and engages in oversight and investigation.
What are the three main sources of Presidential control over the bureaucracy?
The president can use his power of appointment and removal to place loyal, and, one hopes, competent executives in the top layers of the bureaucracy.
The president can alter administrative procedures and reorganise agencies and departments to better achieve his purposes
The president can centralise decision-making authority over personnel, programs, and budgets in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and his various policy councils
What is the significance of the Administrative Procedures Act (1946)?
Serves as a sort of “constitution” for U.S. administrative law
Critically, grants U.S. federal courts oversight over all agency actions
Purpose was:
to require agencies to keep the public informed of their organization, procedures and rules;
to provide for public participation in the rulemaking process;
to establish uniform standards for the conduct of formal rulemaking and adjudication;
to define the scope of judicial review.
