·     Not part of the Cabinet

·      Head reports to and can be removed by the President

·     Narrower area of responsibility than Cabinet departments

·      Examples are: 

-        Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

-        National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

·         Make and implement rules and regulations in a particular area of the economy.

-        Have both legislative and judicial functions

·         Independent of all three branches of government

·         Head is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate

-        Cannot be removed except by impeachment

·         Examples are

o   Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

o   Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

What are government corporations?  List two examples.

·         Operate as a quasi- business enterprise

·         Charge for services

·         Examples are:

-        The U.S. Postal Service

-        The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)

-        The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

·         Provide recommendations to  President in a particular policy area

-        No administrative function

·         Commissioners appointed by the President

-        Temporary or permanent

·         Examples are:

o   The Commission on Civil Rights

o   The Commission on Fine Arts

What are the elements of bureaucratic accountability used by the President, Congress and the courts?  What things are used within the bureaucracy itself?

The elements of bureaucratic accountability used by the president are:

-        Reorganization

-        Presidential Appointments

-        Executive Budget

•         UC-Berkeley's Center for Community Economic Research (CCER).

            The elements of bureaucratic accountability used by congress are:

-        Program authorizations and funding

-        Legislation

-        Sunset laws

-        Direct oversight

•         General Accountability Office (GAO)

•         Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

            The elements of bureaucratic accountability used by the courts are:

-        The federal courts can issue an order requiring an agency to carry out a law properly

•   Court rulings must be triggered by a lawsuit by an affected party

            What things are used within the bureaucracy itself?

o   Whistle-blowing

o   Democratic Representativeness

What are the pros and cons of bureaucracies?

·         PROS: specialization yields efficiency, rules lead to constant decisions.

·         CONS: workers lose touch with constituents, fixed procedures become ends

unto themselves.

 How do federal agencies make policy?

  List and explain three types of management systems seen in federal agencies.  What are the pros and cons of each?

The federal bureaucracy has aspects of all three leadership systems

·         Patronage:

o   Pro:  bureaucracy more responsive to elections

o   Con:  more partisan; appointees may have little expertise

·         Merit:

o   Pro:  trained bureaucrats and neutral administration of regulations

o   Con:  may be fragmented and unresponsive; bureaucrats may place agency needs over clients’

·         Executive Leadership:  

o   Pro:  strong centralized leadership by President

o   Con:  can upset balance between executive and legislative branches of government and make President’s priorities the basis for decisions, not fairness or good management practices

What did the Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 do and what did the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 do?

·         Reform Act of 1883 – Established civil service commission to oversee merit employees and their hiring

·         Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 – Abolished the civil service commission, created office of personnel management for hiring, created the merit systems protection board

What are three sources of bureaucratic power?

This gives agencies power

o   Expertise 

o   Clientele groups

o   Friends in high places

Briefly describe the federal budget process.  How long does it take?