Is the authority that the federal bureaucracy uses to make the best choices to implement policies?

When Americans purchase food from the grocery store, we take for granted that the food we buy will be safe for consumption. But who makes sure that it’s safe? Who makes the decisions about what kind of box your delivered pizza comes in? Who checks to see what kind of conditions that animals produced for food are kept in? Policing food safety is the job of bureaucrats. The federal bureaucracy makes regulations in so many areas of life, from education to the military to agriculture. The power of the federal bureaucracy extends to almost every corner of our lives. But what is the bureaucracy, and what role does the bureaucracy play in the United States ?

Federal Bureaucracy Definition

The federal bureaucracy is a large, hierarchical structure composed of members of the executive branch. Authority is divided among several managers so that one person isn’t making all the decisions. The bureaucracy uses task specialization, impersonal decision-making and specific rules, and operates on the merit system. It is sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of government because of its size and its importance in government operations.

Merit System: Employees of the federal bureaucracy are hired according to merit. They take tests and earn their positions so that employees are skilled and talented. Qualified individuals are hired, versus people awarded jobs based on patronage.

Patronage: Hiring of individuals based on political decisions. People are often given jobs as favors or for making large campaign contributions.

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! " - President Ronald Reagan

President Reagan touched on a stereotype that many Americans have about bureaucracy—that it's large and once an agency is established, it only continues to grow. He was right in that the bureaucracy has only grown over time. There are over 2.1 million American civilian workers in the federal bureaucracy. However, the country has also grown over time and become more complex. The bureaucracy is checked by the other two branches of government.

The government takes on many duties, and the bureaucracy is central to our lives.

Federal Bureaucracy Structure

The bureaucracy is organized into four types of agencies: cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, and independent executive agencies. People who work in the federal bureaucracy are said to be civil servants. Civil Servants more closely mirror the diversity of Americans than any of the other branches of government.

Cabinet Departments

There are 15 cabinet departments and each one is headed by a secretary except for the Department of Justice which is led by the Attorney General of the United States. The secretaries and the attorney general comprise the President’s cabinet.

Cabinet: The heads of the 15 executive agencies. The cabinet serves as the President’s advisors. They are chosen by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Each cabinet department handles specific policy areas, and they have their own budgets and their own staff. The cabinet departments in the order of creation are:

• Department of State
• Department of Treasury
• Department of Defense
• Department of Justice
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Agriculture
• Departments of Commerce
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Labor
• Department of Urban Development
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Energy
• Department of Education
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Department of Homeland Security

Independent Regulatory Commissions are government agencies that are part of the federal bureaucracy and are responsible for the creation and enforcement of rules to protect American citizens in a particular area of the economy. They also act as judges in disputes in these areas.

Each Independent Regulatory Commission is overseen by a small group of commissioners appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

Examples of Independent Regulatory Commissions are:

• NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)—This commission is responsible for regulating the relationship between labor (workers) and management.
• FTC (Federal Trade Commission)—The FTC regulates business practices and advertising.

Government Corporations

Government corporations are like business corporations. They provide a service that could be provided by the private sector. The United States has a few government corporations, and they include the United States Postal Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The Tennessee Valley Authority was created as part of the New Deal to control floods and protect against soil erosion.

Government Corporations charge for their services, but are different from private businesses in that citizens cannot buy stock in them.

The Independent Executive Agencies

The Independent Executive Agencies are the rest of the bureaucracy. They are not part of cabinet departments, government corporations, or independent regulatory agencies. Among the largest are:

• NASA—National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• NSF—National Science Foundation

Functions of Federal Bureaucracy

The Federal Bureaucracy is the implementer of policy and the provider of many necessary services. The bureaucracy maintains our highways and works to ensure safety in airways and airports. They work to make sure our food is safe and care for our public lands. Civil servants deliver the mail and implement education policy and much, much more!

Congress makes laws and those laws are then executed by a department or agency. The bureaucracy is important because they fulfill the responsibilities of the government. The bureaucracy writes rules and regulations and enforces them.

Laws that Congress makes are often vague, and it’s up to the bureaucracy to administer them. Therefore, the bureaucracy has the power to shape national policy and affect people’s lives.

The federal bureaucracy also has the power to enforce its regulations and fine corporations who do not abide by the rules they create.

Federal Bureaucracy Examples

We have explored the structure of the bureaucracy and discussed the function of the so-called 4th branch. There are thousands of examples of the federal bureaucracy at work. Some include:

• The United States Department of Agriculture monitors the health and facilities of animals on exhibition.
• The National Labor Relations Board examines the relationship between workers and managers when they come into conflict.
• The Department of Agriculture administers the nation’s food stamp program.
• The Justice Department registered thousands of new African American voters after the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
• The Social Security Administration processes disability claims.
• The Food and Drug Administration monitors plants that manufacture medical devices.
• The Federal Communications Commission regulates cable television.
• The Internal Revenue Service processes your tax refund.

Federal Bureaucracy Role

The role of the federal bureaucracy is to implement policy. Laws don’t implement themselves. The purpose of the executive branch is to execute the laws. The bureaucracy is the arm of the executive branch that executes the laws that Congress makes. They also take presidential executive orders and sometimes judicial decisions and implement them in ways that affect the lives of Americans.

They develop the rules, goals, and routines for implementing policy and managing government. Government regulation is the most controversial role of the bureaucracy because it gives the government broad power to implement policy that directly impacts the lives of Americans.

Federal Bureaucracy - Key takeaways

• The Federal Bureaucracy is the implementer of policy and the provider of many necessary services.
• The bureaucracy is organized into four types of agencies: cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, and independent executive agencies
• Government regulation is the most controversial role of the bureaucracy because it gives the government broad power to implement policy that directly impacts the lives of Americans.
• The bureaucracy has the power to shape national policy and affect people’s lives.
• The federal bureaucracy is a large, hierarchical structure composed of members of the executive branch. The bureaucracy uses task specialization, impersonal decision-making and specific rules, and operates on the merit system.

The federal bureaucracy is a large, hierarchical structure composed of members of the executive branch. It’s organized into four types of agencies: cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, and independent executive agencies.

The bureaucracy is organized into four agencies: cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, and independent executive agencies. 

The Federal Bureaucracy is the implementer of policy and the provider of many necessary services. The bureaucracy also writes rules and regulations and enforces them.

The role of the federal bureaucracy is to implement policy. Laws don’t implement themselves. The purpose of the executive branch is to execute the laws. The bureaucracy is the arm of the executive branch that executes the laws that Congress makes.

Examples of the federal bureaucracy at work include the National Labor Relations Board examines the relationship between workers and managers when they come into conflict, and the Department of Agriculture administers the nation’s food stamp program. 

Question

A civil service test is typically required to get many ____jobs.

Answer

Question

The largest class is of federal jobs is called the competitive service.  These are Civil Service jobs that are open to all eligible applicants, selected on merit, and determined by tests and time in grade.

Answer

Question

Civil service refers to government service including elected or appointed positions. 

Answer

Question

The practice of awarding government jobs to political supporters was known as...

Answer

Question

In 1881, President ___ ____ was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled and mentally unstable office seeker upset with the new President's civil service reform goals.

Answer

Question

In 1883, Congress passed a law resuming funding for the Civil Service Commission and requiring civil service exams for government jobs. This was called the ________Act.

Answer

Question

How long was President Garfield in office?

Answer

Question

Civil Service tests are designed to ensure___and ability.

Answer

Question

The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act aimed to limit the practice of political patronage.

Answer

Question

What happened to the Civil Service Commission in 1978?

Answer

President Carter signed legislation ending it.

Question

What are the powers of the federal bureaucracy?

Answer

The Federal Bureaucracy is the implementer of policy and the provider of many necessary services. The bureaucracy also writes rules and regulations and enforces them.

Question

What are the four major parts of the federal bureaucracy?

Answer

The bureaucracy is organized into four agencies: cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, and independent executive agencies. 

Question

What is not an example of an Independent Executive Agency?

Question

What is not an example of a government corporation?

Answer

Question

How many cabinet departments are there?

Question

What is the bureaucracy often referred to as?

Answer

Question

What is the head of each cabinet department referred to as, except for the Department of Justice?

Answer

Question

What do the heads of the 15 cabinet departments comprise?

Answer

Question

What is the hiring of individuals based on political decisions?

Answer

Question

What are bureaucrats called?

Answer