POLI 201 Final Exam

What role do interest groups play in the structural design of the bureaucracy?

Lobbying for desirable outcomes

Can influence rules through notice and comment rulemaking

Provide political support and expertise

What role does Congress play in the structural design of the bureaucracy?

Creation of agencies

Defining agency structure

Delegation of power

Determines leadership structure and requires Senate confirmation for top positions

Controls funding/resources available for agency to operate

What role does the president play in the structural design of the bureaucracy?

Reorganization capacity

Creating agencies via directive

Appointing top leadership

Structuring the Executive Office of the President

Budgetary and regulatory review

Influcing internal agency structure

List of tools/strategies that can be used to control the bureaucracy

Impose set of rules to constrain bureaucratic behavior

Specify criteria and procedures bureaucrats are to use in making deicions

Set up oversight procedures

Definition of an agency

A federal executive instrument directed by one or more political appointees, nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate

What did the FDA regulation attempt to do?

Wanted to restrict the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to protect children and younger adults

How do you think the federal bureaucracy serves as a resource for presidents? How could it constrain what presidents try to do?

Resource: agencies possess specialized/technical knowledge that the White House lacks, provides personnel needed to manage complex govt services, presidents appoint top leadership of agencies, OMB helps president manage the bureaucracy and review budgets

Constraints: federal agencies can be slow to implement change due to bureaucratic procedures, career civil service protections, agencies were created by Congress so they feel less accountable to White House, agencies required to follow APA to make rules and this can take time

What are the different types of unilateral directives that presidents take?

Executive orders, signing statements, proclamation, memoranda

How do presidents use OIRA to control the bureaucracy?

Presidents use OIRA to control federal bureaucracy and align agency actions with presidential priorities and budgets

Through executive orders, presidents have given OIRA the power to review, alter, delay, or kill significant regulations

What are the considerations that presidents must make in selecting appointees? How can you tell if a bureaucratic leader is a good manager?

Selection is based on balance of ideological loyalty, policy expertise, competence

Good managers should be able to foster productive relationships with career civil servants, manage complex organizational change, and demonstrate competence vs political loyalty

Why do the percentage of vacancies matter for bureaucratic outcomes?

Leads to poorer performance, reduced capacity/staff shortages, lower employee morale, and less long-term planning

How could you systematically measure discretion over a large number of statutes?

Length of a bill

How many new words are added

Shall vs may

Measure output of agency

Why do legislatures give power away?

They delegate broad power when they lack the technical expertise to write detailed rules for complex issues

Also to shift political blame for controversial choices

Allow for rapid flexibility as situations change

When political trust is high under a unified govt, broad delegation becomes the most efficient way to achieve shared goals

List of reasons Congress would delegate broad discretion to the bureaucracy and give power away

Time and capacity constraints, need for technical expertise, agencies can update regulations faster than Congress, shifting blame, avoiding controversial decisions, credit claiming, filling gaps in legislation

What piece of legislation governs processes surrounding rulemaking?

Administrative Procedures Act

What does the research tell us about what types of groups are effective in getting what they want in the rule making process?

Business commenters hold important influence over the content of final rules in the notice and comment process

Does the revolving door in the bureaucracy erode the public’s trust in the bureaucracy?

Definition: movement of people between roles as public policymakers and private sector positions

Yes, it is considered to erode public trust. This practice creates conflicts of interest, regulatory capture, and the perception that government decisions favor specific interests over the public good

What is procedural politicking?

Bureaucrats use procedures strategically to gain political advantage and increase chances of regulatory success, especially in hostile political environments

What are different sets of strategies that agencies can use under the umbrella of procedural politicking?

Writing: manipulating text and structure of a rule to make them harder to scrutinize or attack

Consultation: providing long or short comment periods or manipulate when comment period occurs. can also decide which stakeholders to consult, favoring those who support their policy goals

Timing: choosing when to release, propose, or finalize rules to avoid or exploit specific political environments

What are the different types of bureaucrats and their motivations?

Cabinet departments: DOJ, 15 major depts directly accountable to the President

Independent executive agencies: CIA, created by Congress with more focused missions that are not under the direct control of a Cabinet dept

Independent regulatory commissions: EPA, specialized agencies designed to regulate specific economic activities or interests

Government corporations: U.S. Postal Service, agencies formed by the fed govt to perform a service that could be provided by the private sector, often serving a public purpose

What are resource effects?

Policies are packages of resources that influence political participation

Example: Providing Social Security funds to low-income seniors increases their ability to participate politically

What are interpretive effects?

Polices are new sources of information that affect how people understand politics

Example: Environmental interpretations (signs, education) can change public perception, promoting environmental protection behaviors

What is organizational socialization?

The process by which new employees learn the established rules, hierarchy, and cultural norms

How is organizational socialization relevant for representative bureaucracy?

It shapes whether diverse employees (passive representation) actively advocate for their demographic group’s interests (active representation). Socialization can facilitate this advocacy or cause employees to adopt the organization’s dominant, often non-representative values

On the federal level, how does the APA govern how rules are promulgated?

By establishing standardized proceudres for agencies to propose, adopt, and amend regulations. Agencies must publish proposed rules in the Federal Register. Agencies must allow the public to submit comments. After reviewing comments, agencies must publish a final rule

What do Potter and Volden find about female leaders and rulemaking?

Findings are conditional. Female leaders are not associated with an increase in an agency’s rulemaking performance. Female leaders show higher levels of ambition and execution when placed in specific agency contexts like health, education, and civil rights

What is passive (descriptive) representation

Bureaucracy reflects population demographics. Example: a school district with 60% female student population having a teaching staff that is also 60% female

What is active (substantive) representation

Bureaucrats advocate for the interests of their demographic group. Example: Bureaucrat from a low income background who ensures that social service programs are designed and implemented in a way that is easily accessible