Section 11                              

The Bureaucracy

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Readings: Chapter 15.

In American political culture the word "bureaucracy' is virtually an epithet. It is commonly associated with waste, rigidity, laziness and even stupidity. Anecdotes can be found to support many instances of problems within the federal bureaucracy but the problems are less severe than some people would have you think. Many politicians (of both the left and right) have made careers out of criticizing the federal bureaucracy. I personally believe that Congress and the federal bureaucracy are to some degree victims of the public's fear and animosity toward institutions which are powerful yet difficult to understand. The President and the courts are institutions which are highly personalized and appear easy to understand. Hopefully by the end of this course any respect, fear and loathing you may feel toward the institutions of government will be informed respect, fear and loathing. Zen.

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Your Name

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11.1 How do these "ideal types" which characterize Max Weber's conception of bureaucracy contribute to organizational efficiency?      

11.2 Why can't bureaucrats simply implement the orders of the other branches of government without using their own discretion?      

11.3 What are the differences between "career executives" and "political executives?"

11.4 Identify the following agencies as (A) cabinet-level departments, (B) independent federal agencies or (C) government corporations.    

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United States Air Force

Environmental Protection Agency

The Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Reserve

National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities

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11.5 We have recognized serious policy problems such as health care, welfare and the federal deficit for several decades. What prevents the federal government from creating a "rational-comprehensive" solution for these and other social problems?

Questions or Comments? send e-mail to Dr. Werner at drblw@aol.com

Thought exercise: Review the highlighted sections entitled "Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Politics of Regulation," "OMB-The Nearly Anonymous Power Center" and "The OMB's 'Rosey Scenario' Information Strategy." How would implementation of a required cost-benefit analysis by the OMB influence the regulations produced by the federal government? Think about questions such as: Who would make the analysis? How are their incentives different from those of other players? What difficulties might arise? What problems might be resolved?   Zen.