...How do the president, Congress, and courts exercise control over the bureaucracy? The president takes charge of reforming the bureaucracy through his power of appointment, his power to propose new programs and budgets, and his power to streamline and rearrange. Executive Control: The president can use his power of appointment to place those who are loyal and competent. He can strategically place them where he chooses in top executive positions. He can also use his power of removal from these positions. The president can change reshuffle and reorder his departments to better achieve his purposes. Almost every president reorganizes the White House staff. Restructuring can strengthen accountability, reduce wasteful duplication, and tighten administrative competence and effectiveness. He oversees their daily operations. Reorganizations or appointments are two ways of gaining power over an agency previously protected from presidential influence. The president can have direct command over personnel, programs, and budget over the bureaucracy. The president had the power to propose budgets. Proposals and new regulations and procedures are required to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President for approval before it goes to Congress. This is a procedure that gives the White House the opportunity that is aligned with the president’s views and policies. They must formulate policy that meets their own preferences and political...
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...PS1010: Study Guide for Exam 3 Winter 2015 1. Which of the following thinkers is often credited with first coming up with ideas about the modern bureaucracy? a. Thomas Hobbes b. John Locke c. Max Weber d. Alexander Hamilton e. Benjamin Franklin 2. Bureaucracy is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT: a. Merit-based advancement b. Hierarchy c. Worker specialization d. Explicit rules e. Flexible goals 3. The value of explicit rules in bureaucratic institutions is that they: a. Facilitate individually tailored treatment of citizens b. Allow for flexibility c. Encourage creativity d. Create standardization and predictability e. Reduce uniformity of behavior 4. A clear chain of command with all employees knowing who their supervisors are as well as whom they are responsible for is an example of a(n): a. Issue network b. Merit system c. Hierarchy d. Spoils system e. Iron triangle 5. Bureaucracy is useful for all of the following EXCEPT tasks that: a. Require a great deal of coordination b. Require a great deal of planning c. Require a great deal of expertise d. Can be handled on an ad hoc basis e. Require a great deal of routine work 6. The practice in which successful party candidates reward political supporters with jobs or favors is known as: a. Patronage b. Pandering c. Pay-for-play d. Lobbying e. Nepotism 7. The civil service replaced the _________ as a method of choosing government workers. a. Merit system b. Hereditary...
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...principles upon which the US constitution is based? The three basic principles which the U.S. Constitution is based on are federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Federalism, or the federal system, is a method to divide the power of government between a strong national government and each of the states, with the national power being the most powerful. Separation of powers is basically a method of splitting up the power of government among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Checks and balances is a framework that gives each of the three branches some ability to oversee and control what the other branches do. 2. What were the principle weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and what prompted the desire for change? The principle weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were Congress not having specific power to tax, Congress not being allowed to regulate commerce among the states or with foreign nations, no provision for an executive branch or judicial system to handle the ongoing conflicts among the states, and its failure to provide for a strong, central government. Alexander Hamilton and George Washington saw the nation in such disrepair and were interested in land expansion and trade that they saw how much the country...
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..._ Collective dilemmas in Congress, the executive branch, the bureaucracy, and the courts, and how these collective dilemmas are overcome CONGRESS:2 main organized features: Committee System helps solve collective dilemmas. Executive branch has grown and bureaucracy. So he faces principal agent. Bureaucrats are his agents and he is the principle. _ Structure of Congress _ Qualifications for members of Congress senate- 30, citizen 9 years, live in state house- 25, citizen 7 years, live in state _ Reapportionment redistribution 435 seats in the house of reps after the census _ Drawing congressional district lines (Wesberry v. Sanders (1964), redistricting, gerrymandering, cracking, packing, racial and partisan gerrymandering, political consequences of gerrymandering) This decision requires each state to draw its U.S. Congressional districts so that they are approximately equal in population. Redistricting to favor a political party. Cracking= Spreading like-minded voters apart across multiple districts to dilute their voting power in each. This denies the group representation in multiple districts Packing= Concentrating like-minded voters together in one district to reduce their voting power in other districts. _ Individualism in Congress (including factors that contribute to it) _ Single-member districts electoral district in which a single person is reelected _ Plurality elections determining an elections winner by who ever receives the most votes...
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...instead of being cherished and utilized. U.S. citizens have rights thanks to the original Bill of Rights, for example the right to free speech and the right to bear arms. The framers of the U.S. Constitution which is the basic structure of the American system of government. The U.S. Constitution is a written constitution, "it is the world's oldest written constitution still in force, drawn up in 1787, ratified in 1788 and inaugurated in 1789" (Powell, 2015, p. 687). Our constitution was developed to be a working document, meaning the framers created a document that can be edited and corrected through the political processes put in place that merit changing or amending by using our three branches of government, the executive, legislative and judicial. The Constitution The U.S. Constitution has several strengths and weaknesses that definitely make for it to be the keystone of our political system and the pillar for democracies throughout the world. A major strength to our Constitution is that it makes for a strong Central government with checks and balances. The system of checks and balances and separation of powers, I firmly believe this is the most important aspect of our government. The making of the American Constitution, was indeed necessary because the Articles of Confederation, were found not to be a workable solution by the Thirteen original colonies, they had no unity amongst them and the central government had no...
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...PO 201 – American Constitution Oct 15, 2012 1. The most general definition of politics would be the process by which values are authoritatively allocated for a particular society. More specifically that allocation speaks to the process where it is decided when, what, who, and how resources are distributed. Many would say that politics is no more than the art of governing humanity through deception, and some would even go as far as to say it is nothing more than conducting public affairs for private gain. Government has numerous roles but four of the major areas are paramount. Manage the national economy. It is the responsibility of the government to place checks and balances within the system to make sure the economy remains viable. The government also has the responsibility to enforce laws and contracts. This could be as simple as managing disputes between private citizens (civil or criminal) or as major as the Supreme Court hearing arguments between the states. Another major area where government is involved are issues of public safety and infrastructure. The upkeep of roads and bridges, regulation of utilities and public services, and public health standard guidelines are roles of the government. One of the most obvious and expensive roles of the government is national defense. The Constitution speaks to the issue of raising an army and navy (doesn’t say exactly how) and it is the expectation of the people that the government will provide for them an...
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...legislative acts.) The influence referred as the “fourth branch” (three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial) Administrative agencies have been objects of controversy. Enabling Legislation Administrative agencies are created by enabling legislation, which usually specifies the name, composition, and powers of the agency. Administrative procedure Act (APA) The APA was enacted by Congress in 1946 in an attempt to standardize federal agency procedures and to respond to critics who said that administrative power was out of control. Functions of Administrative Agencies In their roles, administrative agencies serve three main functions: rule-making, adjudicating and investigating. * In rule making, the agency takes laws passed by Congress and adds the technical expertise need for them to apply to real-life situations. E.g., a bill may mandate public vaccinations, but a rule will explain which age groups and demographics need the vaccination. * Agencies serve a judicial function when in-house lawyers and judges help individuals resolve disputes with the agency. They can also fine those who break agency rules. * As investigators, they can subpoena and question those who may have violated federal law. The Environmental Protection Agency is probably best known for seeking out and punishing polluters as part of its investigative and judicial authorities. Administrative agency‘s Purpose: The purpose of an “administrative agency”...
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...expands and becomes more complex, the need for holding it properly accountable is more acutely felt principal problem of governmental administration today is not one of securing efficiency but one of insuring accountability; In India the assumption in the context of democracy, is that the civil servants work for the people. But the problem of locating accountability therefore becomes acute because of the nature of the job performed and power exercised by the civil servants. Today they are no longer confined to the job of implementing the policies and executing the laws framed by the legislature. Now they consciously make laws and even adjudicate laws These days various expressions like responsiveness, responsibility, accountability and control are used to ensure the subservience of public servants. Accountability related to administration therefore means that the administration has to be accountable for the exercise of authority which it possesses. Now an...
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...On The Table Slowly. The policy acts similar to a law dealing with problems and concerns, but it is influenced by government and nonprofit organizations. Under the government and officials, the public policy is made; the nonprofit organizations advocate the policy making process. The three U.S. government branches, legislative, executive, and judicial, need to be involve and check the new policy before it is applied. The legislative are members of congress such as committee and subcommittee chairs; the bureaucracy players are mainly career bureaucrats such as agency heads and seniors; the interest groups will be the experts, such as powerful leaders in health, welfare, education and more. There are two traditional models, iron triangles and issue networks, which define how the government leaderships work together. The connection among the politicians, officials, and interest group helps how the public receives the supports. Mainly, interest groups have too much control and power on iron triangle. Starting from the electoral support from the interest group towards congress, funding and political support delivered to the bureaucracy, which provides facilities and special favors. On the other hand, the issue network uses much broader networking within the agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups. The model allows experts such as interest groups, members of congress, social media, professors in policy, foundations, public opinion and more, to share knowledge in...
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...Research Essay What is Bureaucratic Control? Describe the elements of Bureaucratic Control and provide examples of Bureaucratic Control that can be found in your university ? Bureaucratic Control in its current context refers to management attempting to control employee output through reward and punishment in order to ensure employee work performance and conduct matches the managers expectation and follows defined company agendas’ which are in turn dictated from above by directors. This method of control is centralised, and relies heavily on administrative techniques and established hierarchies within the company to communicate its policies to employees. This essay will provide a context of the development of bureaucratic control, highlight its key factors and supply some relevant examples of this type of control at Victoria University. Bureaucratic management was first proposed by German sociologist Max Weber (Williams & McWilliams, 2010) as an alternative to the monarchical system of promoting by virtue of birthright. His definition of bureaucracy was to effect control of an organisation through knowledge. As such, the premise of this thought was to promote on merit rather than heredity to ensure maximum output through the utilisation of the most qualified rather than the most connected (in this circumstance, ‘connected’ refers to the relationship one has with those in charge). This idea of fairness versus favouritism would increase overall efficiency towards the realisation...
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...Entry 1: In chapter thirteen we cover the work of our highest government official – The President. As President of the United States of America, it is an honor, as well as a vital role in our country. There are many challenges that the President may face, and with these challenges, he/she has a whole form of government behind them. The President also holds many powers, these powers are categorized and can be expressed as delegated, expressed, military, judicial, diplomatic, executive and legislative powers. Each of these powers are to be performed and used under the circumstances regarding each. There are differences regarding the United States President’s powers and those of France, Germany, and South Africa. For example, France has a semi-presidential executive system and Germany and South Africa both have parliamentary executive systems. Entry 2: In chapter fourteen, we talk about the bureaucracy in a democracy. A bureaucracy can be defined as one in which is less than an organization. Another way to term bureaucracy is that the...
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...politics. The elections spur rapid debate about these topics as people decide who will gain their precious votes. A central issue that evolved became the problem of illegal immigration as it pertains to the United States border and more exclusively, the border of Mexico. The issue at hand is the problem of too many Mexican immigrants crossing over the United States border illegally. Immigration has been at the forefront of American politics for some time now. The issue is not only of recent concern, but of past concern as well. For most of the United States’ history, illegal immigrants have continually crossed the border into the United States. The branches of government involved in this situation is most likely all three of them. The judicial branch has no direct connection as of yet, but a court case can be seen in the future having to deal with this issue of illegal immigration. The executive and legislative branches are most directly involved by dealing with the creating of new legislation and executing it. The legislative branch has passed the necessary laws needed to deal with the illegal immigration issue such as the 700 mile fence across the border of the US and Mexico. The public officials involved with illegal immigration are numerous. The President all the way down to the small city officials cope and strategize about this issue. Cities and state official deal with the presence of illegal immigrants on a closer level, especially a major border state like Arizona...
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...According to Weber, authority is power accepted as legitimate by those subjected to it. These three forms of authority are said to appear in a "hierarchical development order". States progress from charismatic authority, to traditional authority, and finally reach the state of rational-legal authority which is characteristic of a modern liberal democracy. However in this paper, we will try to agree with Max Weber’s statement that, legal – rational authority is the most rational type of authority, while giving reasons to our argument. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state (in the form of Members of Parliament, Judges, Police Officers, etc.) or by academic knowledge of an area (someone can be an authority on a subject). The word "Authority" with capital "A”, refers to the governing body upon which such authority (with lower case "a") is vested ( Arendt, 1961: 53). However, authority is often used interchangeably in governments with the term "power". However, their meanings differ. Authority refers to a claim of legitimacy, the justification and right to exercise power (Spencer, 1970: 258). For example, while a mob has the power to punish a criminal, for example by lynching, people who believe in the rule of law consider that only a court of law to have the authority to order capital punishment. Max Weber, in his sociological and philosophical work, identified and distinguished three types of legitimate domination that have sometimes been rendered...
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...government. The majority of the seventeen later amendments expand individual civil rights. At seven articles and twenty-seven amendments, it is the shortest written constitution in force. The Constitution of the United States was the first constitution of its kind, and has influenced the constitutions of other nations. However, it has many flaws, firstly the amendment process is too difficult, thereby making it near impossible to change it. Secondly the power of judicial review gives the unelected unaccountable Supreme Court too much power. Thirdly the constitution leads to gridlock and finally some parts make no sense in modern society and don’t work as the Framers intended. Nevertheless there are positives; primarily that Federalism has proved to be an excellent compromise between strong national government and state government diversity. The demanding amendment process has prevented frivolous, frequent and ill conceived changes. The rights and liberties of Americans have been protected. Finally the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review has made the constitution even more adaptable to change through...
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...THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND ETHICAL TRANSFORMATION: ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BUREAUCRACY Introduction Ethics is gaining prominence in the discourse about governance today. There is a perception that standards in public life are in decline. This raises questions about the costs of misconduct on the part of those who have been entrusted with guarding public interest and resources. These costs are losses in trust and confidence in public institutions and losses in precious resources which were meant to support the economic and social development of nations and peoples. There is a move worldwide to restore a measure of trust and integrity in public institutions and officials, to safeguard democracy and promote better governance. It could be argued that the perception of a fall in public standards is linked to the shifting role of the state, which is undergoing tremendous reform. Globalization, technological advances, spreading democratization and fiscal crises are challenging states to deal with strong external forces, be - smart - in serving its citizenry, devolve power, and divest it of obsolete activities. As a result, the public service, as an institution, is under pressure to transform itself to respond to these changes. As public servants are asked to take on new and sometimes conflicting roles, there is a need for a cost-effective structure and an encouraging culture to enforce standards and guide their behavior. Government and society cannot promote and enforce ethical...
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