A bureaucracy is a hierarchy like a chain of command or an assembly line. Everyone is either an authority or a subordinate - there are clearly cut lines establishing who is who. Bureaucracies can be impersonal in that no one is catered to or coddled. Everyone makes decisions for himself and, depending on how good these decisions are, is rewarded accordingly. Everyone is held accountable for whatever he is best at. No matter what goes wrong, it will be obvious who has committed a foul. In short, bureaucracies are practical, rational, and logical. Our nation's federal bureaucracy is made up of different divisions that represent our nation and it's people. Heads of these divisions are known as secretaries (the exception to this is the Department of Justice, whose leader is known as the Attorney General) and serve in the president's cabinet. (The president is the head of the federal bureaucracy.) These secretaries act as advisors to the president. For instance, the Secretary of Energy would advise the president on ways to conserve energy. Currently there are over 60 Federal agencies and 15 Cabinet level departments. These agencies and departments work together to formally implement Congressional acts and decisions. They do this by sorting out details and developing protocol to make sure that all official decisions are carried out to the best of their abilities.
The federal bureaucracy is a diverse organization (both in people and policies that are meant to represent our nation as a whole)that not only helps the President in making their decisions when it comes to Congressional issues, but also carries out (implements) policy that Congress and the president have adopted. The bureaucracy, like Erin said, is organized inth a Hierarchical authority structure that uses "task" specialization and operates on the merit principle. It's commonly described as a "well-organized machine with lots of working parts." There are 15 Cabinet departments headed by a secretary; (except the Department of Justice headed by Attorney General) each with its own budget, staff, and policy areas. Everyday life is the subject of bureaucratic regulation. In fact, just about all bureaucratic agencies are in the regulatory business. As far how they implement policies, there are three elements: 1) The creation of a new agency or assignment of responsibility to an old agency, 2) The translation of policy goals into operational rules of thumb, and 3) The coordination of resources and personnel to achieve the goals.
Cabinet departments must be created by an act of Congress.
Secretaries (or the Attorney General) are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. They work in separate buildings in DC and many times become more loyal to their departments than the president.
Full cabinet meetings with all the secretaries present are RARELY held today.
A bureaucracy is a hierarchy like a chain of command or an assembly line. Everyone is either an authority or a subordinate - there are clearly cut lines establishing who is who. Bureaucracies can be impersonal in that no one is catered to or coddled. Everyone makes decisions for himself and, depending on how good these decisions are, is rewarded accordingly. Everyone is held accountable for whatever he is best at. No matter what goes wrong, it will be obvious who has committed a foul. In short, bureaucracies are practical, rational, and logical. Our nation's federal bureaucracy is made up of different divisions that represent our nation and it's people. Heads of these divisions are known as secretaries (the exception to this is the Department of Justice, whose leader is known as the Attorney General) and serve in the president's cabinet. (The president is the head of the federal bureaucracy.) These secretaries act as advisors to the president. For instance, the Secretary of Energy would advise the president on ways to conserve energy. Currently there are over 60 Federal agencies and 15 Cabinet level departments. These agencies and departments work together to formally implement Congressional acts and decisions. They do this by sorting out details and developing protocol to make sure that all official decisions are carried out to the best of their abilities.
ReplyDeleteThe federal bureaucracy is a diverse organization (both in people and policies that are meant to represent our nation as a whole)that not only helps the President in making their decisions when it comes to Congressional issues, but also carries out (implements) policy that Congress and the president have adopted. The bureaucracy, like Erin said, is organized inth a Hierarchical authority structure that uses "task" specialization and operates on the merit principle. It's commonly described as a "well-organized machine with lots of working parts." There are 15 Cabinet departments headed by a secretary; (except the Department of Justice headed by Attorney General) each with its own budget, staff, and policy areas. Everyday life is the subject of bureaucratic regulation. In fact, just about all bureaucratic agencies are in the regulatory business. As far how they implement policies, there are three elements: 1) The creation of a new agency or assignment of responsibility to an old agency, 2) The translation of policy goals into operational rules of thumb, and 3) The coordination of resources and personnel to achieve the goals.
ReplyDeleteCabinet departments must be created by an act of Congress.
ReplyDeleteSecretaries (or the Attorney General) are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. They work in separate buildings in DC and many times become more loyal to their departments than the president.
Full cabinet meetings with all the secretaries present are RARELY held today.