Chapter Study OutlineIntroduction Show The bureaucracy is the administrative heart and soul of government. Policies passed by authoritative decision makers are interpreted and implemented by executive agencies and departments. Created by elected officeholders, bureaucratic organizations exist to perform essential public functions both on a day-to-day basis and, especially, at times of national emergencies. Despite these efforts and functions, bureaucracy is generally unpopular in American government and often criticized as “big government” run amok. 1. Why Bureaucracy? What is the political status of the federal bureaucracy? What is its power? How does the public view it? What essential functions do bureaucratic agencies and departments perform?
2. How is the Executive Branch Organized? How are individual departments and agencies organized? What types of departments and agencies exist? How do their functions and political environments differ?
3. The Problem of Bureaucratic Control What goals and motivations do bureaucrats have? To the extent that bureaucrats and bureaucracies are agents, how is this problematic? Who are the bureaucracy’s principals and how do they exert control?
4. How Can Bureaucracy Be Reduced? How has the American national government’s bureaucracy developed in recent years? What strategies exist to reduce the size and scope of the federal executive? What are the inherent challenges involved with each strategy?
5. Conclusion Does bureaucracy work?
What is the primary means by which the president checks the power of the bureaucracy?Most directly, the president controls the bureaucracies by appointing the heads of the fifteen cabinet departments and of many independent executive agencies, such as the CIA, the EPA, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These cabinet and agency appointments go through the Senate for confirmation.
What is an example of bureaucratic discretion?Bureaucratic discretion can take the forms of, among other things, allocating grant programs, imposing fines, and issuing rules and regulations.
Which of the following are sources of bureaucratic power?What are the sources of (and limits on) bureaucratic power? Bureaucracies need power in order to function in the American political system. They derive that power from variety of sources: external support, expertise, bureaucratic discretion, longevity, skill, and leadership.
What gives the bureaucracy its power?Expertise of bureaucrats: The people who administer policy often know much more about those issues than the president or members of Congress. This expertise gives the bureaucrats power.
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