Bureaucracies are large, complex organizations in which employees have very specific job responsibilities and work within a hierarchy of authority.

The employees of the departments, agencies, bureaus, and offices of government are known as bureaucrats. The Bureaucracy is considered part of the Executive Office.

The bureaucracy of the federal government is the largest in the United States, employing more that 2.8 million people.

THE BUREAUCRACY

The Spoils System is the practice of winning candidates’ rewarding their supporters with government jobs. Made famous by President Andrew Jackson and based on the saying “to the victor the spoils of the enemy.”

In the 19th century, nearly every federal job was a patronage job. President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, replaced nearly 40,000 Republican postal employees with Democrats. The Pendleton Act of 1883 was legislation to replace the patronage, or spoils system, with the merit system.

The Civil Service is a system or method of appointing government employees on the basis of competitive examinations, rather than by political patronage.

The Merit System is a system or policy whereby people are promoted or rewarded on the basis of ability or achievement rather than because of seniority, quotas, patronage or the like.

WHO ARE THE BUREAUCRATS?

Departments, Independent Agencies (NASA, SBA,) Government Corporations (TVA, USPS, AMTRAK,) Independent Regulatory Agencies (SEC, FRB)

Civil Service; Presidents appoint fewer than 1% of all executive branch positions

The primary function of the bureaucracy is policy implementation and policymaking.

BUREAUS AND BUREAUCRATS

Department of Statehttp://www.state.gov

 Department of the Treasury

http://www.treasury.gov 

Department of Defensehttp://www.defenselink.mil

 Department of Justicehttp://www.usdoj.gov

 Department of the Interior

http://www.doi.gov 

Department of Agriculturehttp://www.usda.gov

 Department of Commercehttp://www.commerce.gov

 Department of Laborhttp://www.dol.gov

 

Department of Health and Human Serviceshttp://www.hhs.gov

Department of Housing and Urban Development

http://www.hud.gov 

Department of Transportationhttp://www.dot.gov

 Department of Energyhttp://www.energy.gov

 Department of Education

http://www.ed.gov 

Department of Veterans Affairshttp://www.va.gov

 Department of Homeland Security

http://www.dhs.gov

CABINET DEPARTMENTS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Science and Technology

Business Regulation

Social Welfare

Ambitious Administrators

REASONS FOR GROWTH OF THE BUREAUCRACY

Executive Influence

Congressional influences

Iron triangles

Issue networks

The Media

INFLUENCES ON THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY