The federal bureaucracy began with the three cabinet departments established by George Washington in 1789. Since that time, not only have the number of departments in the cabinet more than tripled, but now there are also myriad agencies, bureaus, government corporations, authorities, and administrations that take care of the government's business. Show The nature of the civil service For the purposes of this book, the term civil service refers to the civilian employees of the federal government. Wealthy men dominated the bureaucracy through the 1820s. This changed with the election of President Andrew Jackson (1828), who opened government jobs to the common people. He inaugurated the spoils system, under which party loyalty — not experience or talent — became the criterion for a federal job. This was the beginning of patronage, and it continued through the late 19th century. Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1883, which created a system for hiring federal workers based on qualifications rather than political allegiance; employees were also protected from losing their jobs when the administration changed. To encourage a nonpartisan bureaucracy, the Hatch Act (1939) prohibited federal workers from running for office or actively campaigning for other candidates. Such limitations on civil liberties are considered by many the price that has to be paid for a professional, nonpolitical bureaucracy. The rise of the welfare state During the 1930s, the size of the federal bureaucracy mushroomed due to President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal agencies. Although many were short-lived, others continue to play a role in the lives of Americans: the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Out of these agencies' programs grew the concept of the welfare state, under which the federal government (rather than individuals, municipalities, or the states) assumes the major responsibility for the well-being of the people. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society during the 1960s expanded the welfare state with such programs as Medicare, Head Start, the Job Corps, and the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). As with the New Deal, many Great Society programs became a permanent part of the federal bureaucracy. The idea of the government seeing to the needs of its citizens carried on into the 1970s: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created by the Nixon administration, the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Labor Department transformed the workplace for most Americans, and new cabinet departments were established. National security bureaucracy The federal bureaucracy deals with more than social and economic policies. A large number of agencies are responsible for protecting the American people from both foreign and domestic dangers. The national security bureaucracy includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Responding to late 20th-century public concern about violent crime, drugs, and illegal immigration into the United States, agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) have increased in size. In the wake of events of September 11, the national security bureaucracy was reorganized and expanded. In October 2001, the Office of Homeland Security was established within the Executive Office of the President. Due to pressure from Congress, however, the office became a cabinet department in 2003. The Department of Homeland Security united 22 federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs Service, and the U.S. Secret Service. Agencies created specifically in response to the terrorist threat were also transferred to the new department; the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an example. Chapter Study OutlineIntroduction 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 has contributed to the growth of the federal bureaucracy?The Civil War sparked the creation of thousands of government jobs and new departments to handle the demands of warfare. After the war, the Industrial Revolution encouraged economic growth and more government agencies to regulate the expanding economy.
What are the factors that led to the rise of bureaucracy?6 Important Causes for the Rise of Bureaucracy in Modern Times. Creation of Money Economy:. Emergence of Capitalist Economy:. Growth of Population:. Emergence of Complex administrative problems:. Growth of Democratic Institutions:. Why has the federal bureaucracy grown over the years quizlet?Why has the federal bureaucracy grow over the years? Because more services and other things being offered to the people have increased so the management of such services must grow with it to allow for more effective execution of these services, thus the federal bureaucracy must increase.
What factors have led to the growth and development of the federal bureaucracy quizlet?The growth of the bureaucracy in the United States can be attributed to several factors: the nation's increasing population, scientific,and technological development, and changing economic circumstances.
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