Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy

The system of civil servants and political appointees who implement congressional or presidential decisions; also known as the administrative state.

Civil servants

Employees of bureaucratic agencies within the government.

Political appointees

People selected by an elected leader, such as the president, to hold a government position

Regulation

A rule that allows the government to exercise control over individuals and corporations by restricting certain behaviors

Notice-and-comment procedure

A step in the rule-making process in which proposed rules are published in the Federal Register and made available for debate by the general public

State capacity

The knowledge, personnel, and institutions that the government requires to effectively implement policies.

Problem of control

A difficulty faced by elected officials in ensuring that when bureaucrats implement policies they follow these officials’ intentions but still have enough discretion to use their expertise

Principal-agent game

The interaction between a principal (such as the president or Congress), who needs something done, and an agent (such as a bureaucrat), who is responsible for carrying out the principal’s orders

Red tape

Excessive or unnecessarily complex regulations imposed by the bureaucracy

Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Rules that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies

Federal civil service

A system created by the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Act in which bureaucrats are hired on the basis of merit rather than political connections

Office of Management and Budget

An office within the EOP that is responsible for creating the president’s annual budget proposal to Congress, reviewing proposed rules, and performing other budget-related tasks.

Independent agencies

Government offices or organizations that provide government services and are not part of an executive department.

Budget maximizers

Bureaucrats who seek to increase funding for their agency whether or not that additional spending is worthwhile.

Bureaucratic drift

Bureaucrats’ tendency to implement policies in a way that favors their own political objectives rather than following the original intentions of the legislation.

Oversight

Congressional efforts to make sure that laws are implemented correctly by the bureaucracy after they have been passed.

Police patrol oversight

A method of oversight in which members of Congress constantly monitor the bureaucracy to make sure that laws are implemented correctly.

Fire alarm oversight

A method of oversight in which members of Congress respond to complaints about the bureaucracy or problems of implementation only as they arise rather than exercising constant vigilance.