Homework: Study for the Chapter 7 Test
Homework: OL 8.3 due Tuesday
FrontPage: Turn in want-ad. What is the main goal/purpose of the Peters Township School District? Could it do that with just 1 person?
Real animals that will give you nightmares
The Federal Bureaucrac
y
…or, How Do You Spell F-U-N?
What is a “bureaucracy”?
• Let’s start by breaking the word down into two parts…
• The first part you see at the left…
What is a “bureaucracy”?• And we know the second
half of the word, “cracy” means “to rule”.
• So together, the word bureau-cracy literally means– “to rule from a desk”
• The idea is that government workers, who often work at desks, are essentially “ruling us”…– As we shall see, this is
actually not too far from the truth…scary, eh?
What is a “bureaucracy”?• A large, complex
group organized according to a certain structure
• What is the purpose of a bureaucracy?– To efficiently and
effectively accomplish the goals and carry out the everyday operations of an organization
Features of a “B’ucy”• Hierarchical Organization – pyramid structure with
fewer, more powerful individuals at the top, and more, less powerful individuals at each lower level– Information flows up, decisions and policies flow
down
Features of a “B’ucy”• Job Specialization – bureaucrats each
perform a certain task• Increases efficiency (*Division of labor)
Features of a “B’ucy”• Established
Regulations – communicate/ act according to a set of standard rules– “Chain of
command” must be followed, for example
Features of a “B’ucy”• Formal Rules- for hiring, firing and
promoting employees – - The Civil Service System – merit-based,
not political
The Federal “B’ucy”• All of the agencies,
departments and organizations that help the government do its work – Implementation – to “carry out
the laws”
The Federal “B’ucy”
• Divided into 3 basic parts– Executive
(Cabinet) departments
– Independent Executive Agencies
– The Executive Office of the President
Executive Office of
the President
Executive Deapartments "The Cabinet"
The Executive Branch
("The President")
- The "Right Arm" of the President
- Several agencies staffed by the
President's closest advisors
Independent Agencies - Number in the 100's
- Deal with specific areas/activities outside the scope
of the Cabinet depts.- Report directly to the
President
White House Office
Council of Economic Advisors Other Key
Executive Agencies
Justice HS
- 15 Departments headed by a Secretary
- Do most of the work of the Executive
branch- Broken down into
subunits
National Security Council
NASA
CIA
EPAFEC
SSA
State Defense
Peace Corps
