Chapter 6: The Executive branch

structure

• basic building block of the executive branch

• a formal arrangement among the people engaged in the organization’s mission

function

the specific role or duty performed by a part of an organization

organization matters

• organization affects the outcome of policies

• chief executives (elected or appointed) - set general policy directions and provide leadership for government agencies/programs

• elected chief executives (presidents, mayors, etc) are limited to bureaucracies through policy development and implementation

coordination

• the process of orienting the activities of individuals and organizations so they are mutually supportive

• the government is regularly reorganizing in order to meet the public’s needs

four functions of the executive branch

1. managing money (revenues, spending, borrowing, treasury, finance ministry)

2. maintaining internal law and order (police, courts, department of justice)

3. keeping the country safe (military)

4. managing the country’s foreign affairs (foreign ministry)

roles of executives in government

• manage structure that is product of legislative decisions (essentially they are responsible for managing agencies whose missions, structures, and resources they do not fully control)

• in private sectors, executives have greater power to create, abolish, staff, and fund the structures they manage

the cabinet

• a group of agencies gathered together by their chief executives

• composed of the most senior appointed officers of the federal executive branch

• inner cabinet - State, Treasury, Defense, Justice - often President’s most trusted advisors

• outer cabinet - includes all remaining departments

departments

• other functions like postal service, roads, bridges, etc

• local government - police, fire, sanitation, & education

• state government - colleges & universities, units for social welfare

independent agencies

• agencies that exist outside of federal executive departments (ex Social Security, Federal Reserve)

• independent of presidential control

bureaus

principal operating organizations within agencies (ex Homicide Divsion, FBI)

regulatory commissions

• part of executive branch or have statute authority to perform functions oversaw by legislative branch

• actions are generally open to legal review

• some perform investigations or audits while some are fined to relevant parties

• exercise autonomous activity over some area of human authority (area of administrative law that creates & enforces rules/regulations to benefit the public)

• ex FDA

government corporations

• organizations that perform public functions but they operate like private companies with a profit (or nonprofit)

• some are fully government owned while others are mixed with the government and private investors

• ex Amtrak, Postal Service

field offices

• most government operations are done “in the field”

• departments are specialized and bureaus can choose geographical and authority patterns they deem appropriate for certain responsibilities

area of prefectoral system

structures organized by a particular geographic region divided into a single set of administrative regions

framers

• saw Congress as the priority (main interest was the legislative branch)

• spent less time sculpting the President which means President’s roles are what Congress lets them get away with

formal (enumerated) powers of the President

• appointment department heads (Senate assists)

• negotiate treaties (Senate also assists)

• veto bills

• Commander in Chief

informal powers of the President

• powers to persuade others to follow his lead

• “first citizen” - acts for American people as a whole

problems for executive management

• Presidents are not chosen for their management skills

• disappointment with Cabinet can also occur (secretaries have difficulties becoming efficient executives)

• interdepartmental function has increased

• burden of top level coordination falls on aides/staff agencies

rise of e-gov

• digital interactions between gov and its citizens (ex IRS encourages taxpayers to file online)

• simplifies processes and makes info more accessible

• however, this isn’t always reliable and there’s a lot of bias and concerns of privacy

requirements for President

• natural born citizen

• at least 35 years old

• resident of no less than 14 years in the US

Chief of State

• country’s leader and spokesperson

• attend many symbolic functions such as funerals of important foreign leaders

Chief Executive

• appoints top positions

• issue executive orders

Commander in Chief

full command of the military

Chief Diplomat

• power to make treaties (must be ratified in the Senate)

• recognize ambassadors from other countries

• negotiate with world leaders

• United Nations

Chief Legislator

• signs or vetoes legislation passed by Congress

• State of the Union Address

Party Leader

• President becomes this when elected

• helps support party members in government

• elects other party candidates to positions