G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy PDF

social studies G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 1 of 27  The Modern Bureaucracy G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 2 of 27  Private Business Government to make mo...

social studies G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 1 of 27  The Modern Bureaucracy G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 2 of 27  Private Business Government to make money public good profit motive reelection from customers from taxpayers intro Private businesses as well as all levels of government have their own bureaucratic structures. Lets look at the difference between the two. after: in terms of reason for existing if terms they are driven by what for government leader, they are driven by reelection in terms on how they get their money in terms of there was a mistake, it is hard to point out who is responsible or to blame. Is it the president? Congress? The citizenry? Still, governments can learn much from business, and recent reform efforts have tried to apply business solutions to create a government that works better and costs less. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 3 of 27  The Modern Bureaucracy Because all of the incentive in government “is in the direction of not making mistakes,” public employees view risks and rewards very differently from their private-sector counterparts. intro The different natures of government and business have a tremendous impact on the way the bureaucracy operates. after: The key to the modern bureaucracy is to understand who bureaucrats are, how the bureaucracy is organized, and how organization and personnel affect each other. It also is key to understand that government cannot be run like a business. An understanding of these facts and factors can help in the search for ways to motivate positive change in the bureaucracy G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 4 of 27  Why is it that the government cannot be run like a business ? G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 5 of 27  The Modern Bureaucracy As that has happened, however, the size of state and local bureaucracies has grown proportionately. It is important to note that the following discussion pertains only to the federal bureaucracy intro Although many Americans bemoan a growing federal bureaucracy, they are actually wrong after: Calvin Coolidge - cut staff by 2 percent Richard M. Nixon - proposed a plan to combine fifty domestic agencies and seven different departments into four large “super departments.” Clinton administration - cut the size of the federal workforce, halved the growing number of federal regulations, and set customer service standards to direct agencies to put the people they serve first George W. Bush -put bureaucratic reform as a priority and expanded upon Clinton administration efforts toward a more paperless government G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 6 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? Federal bureaucrats are career government employees who work in the executive branch in the Cabinet-level departments and independent agencies intro In your own understanding, who are the bureaucrats? after: continuation - that comprise more than 2,000 bureaus, divisions, branches, offices, services, and other subunits of the federal government. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 7 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? There are approximately 1.8 million federal workers in the executive branch, a figure that does not include postal workers and uniformed military personnel. intro after: Nearly one-third of all civilian employees work in the U.S. Postal Service. The remaining federal civilian workers are spread out among the various executive departments and agencies throughout the United States G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 8 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? Most of these federal employees are paid according to what is called the “General Schedule” (GS). intro after: They advance within GS grades and into higher GS levels and salaries as their careers progress. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 9 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? As a result of reforms during the Truman administration that built on the Pendleton Act, most civilian federal governmental employees today are selected by merit standards, which include tests and educational criteria. intro after: tests - such as civil service or foreign service exams. Merit systems protect federal employees from being fired for political reasons. (For a description of how a federal employee can be fired, see Table 9.2.) G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 10 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? At the lower levels of the U.S. Civil Service, most positions are filled by competitive examinations intro after: lower level - These usually involve a written test, although the same position in the private sector would not. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 11 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? Mid-level to upper ranges of federal positions do not normally require tests; instead, applicants simply submit a resume, or even apply by phone. intro after: Personnel departments then evaluate potential candidates and rank candidates according to how well they fit a particular job opening. Only the names of those deemed “qualified” are then forwarded to the official filling the vacancy. This can be a time-consuming process; it often takes six to nine months before a position can be filled in this manner. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 12 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? Appointive policy-making positions. More than 6,000 people are presidential appointees. Some of these, including Cabinet secretaries, are subject to Senate confirmation intro The remaining 10 percent of the federal workforce is made up of persons not covered by the civil service system. These positions generally fall into three categories: after: These appointees, in turn, are responsible for appointing thousands of high-level policy- making assistants who form the top of the bureaucratic hierarchy These appointees, in turn, are responsible for appointing thousands of high-level policy- making assistants who form the top of the bureaucratic hierarchy G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 13 of 27  Independent regulatory commissioners. Although each president gets to appoint as many as one hundred commissioners, they become independent of his direct political influence once they take office. intro after: G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 14 of 27  Low-level, nonpolicy patronage positions. In 1971, Congress reorganized the Postal Service and removed positions such as local postmaster from the political patronage/rewards pool intro At one time, the U.S. Postal Service was the largest source of these government jobs. after: Since then, these types of positions generally concern secretarial assistants to policy makers. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 15 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? To enhance efficiency, the United States is broken up into several regions, with most agencies having regional offices in one city in that region. intro There are about 326,000 federal workers in the nation’s capital; the rest are located in regional, state, and local offices scattered throughout the country after: What is the effect of having regional offices in one city per region? The decentralization of the bureaucracy facilitates accessibility to the public. Decentralization also helps distribute jobs and incomes across the country. example: The Social Security Administration, for example, has numerous offices so that its clients can have a place nearby to take their paperwork, questions, and problems G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 16 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? More than two-thirds of those in the highest nonpolitical positions as well as a large number of mid-level managers are eligible to retire intro The graying of the federal workforce is of concern to many after: Many in government hope that the Presidential Management Fellows Program, formerly known as the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program, which was begun in 1977 to hire and train future managers and executives, will be enhanced to make up for the shortfall in experienced managers that the federal government is now facing. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 17 of 27  Who Are Bureaucrats? At the same time the federal government is trying to recruit and retain federal workers, it is also trying to shrink the number of federal employees by using outside contractors intro Agencies even are contemplating ways to pay the college loans of prospective recruits while at the same time trying to enhance benefits to attract older workers after: Federal employees are very difficult to fire, as is underscored in Table 9.2, and outside contractors often are cheaper. The Bush administration, for example, concluded that 850,000 federal jobs are essentially commercial in nature and could be performed more cost-effectively by private corporations, and that half should be outsourced as quickly as possible. G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 18 of 27  Formal Organization G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 19 of 27  General Types of Agencies (1) Cabinet departments (2) government corporations (3) independent agencies (4) regulatory commissions. intro It is estimated that there are 1,149 civilian agencies (these includes separate governmental agencies, commissions, and departments) A distinctive feature of the executive bureaucracy is its traditional division into areas of specialization after: A distinctive feature of the executive bureaucracy is its traditional division into areas of specialization. It is not unusual, however, for more than one agency to be involved in a particular issue or for one agency to be involved in myriad issues G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 20 of 27  The Cabinet Departments The fifteen Cabinet departments are major administrative units that have responsibility for conducting a broad area of government operations intro after: Departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular governmental function, such as defense, commerce, or agriculture. Cabinet departments account for about 60 percent of the federal workforce G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 21 of 27  Aaaaa They are made up of agencies and institutions whose purpose is to implement the policies, programs, and laws made by the federal government. intro after: G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 22 of 27  Why is it that the government cannot be run like a business ? G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 23 of 27  Aaaaa They are made up of agencies and institutions whose purpose is to implement the policies, programs, and laws made by the federal government. intro after: G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 24 of 27  Questions & Discussion G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 25 of 27  Documentation G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 26 of 27  Thank You G11 U4 L3 S2 Modern Bureaucracy Page 27 of 27