Overview

This chapter describes the nature of the federal bureaucracy and the politics surrounding it. The discussion initially aims at clarifying the bureaucracy's responsibilities, organizational structure and management practices. Also discussed is how the bureaucracy fits in the political game. Bureaucrats necessarily and naturally take an "agency point of view," seeking to promote their agency's objectives. The three constitutional branches of government impose a degree of accountability on the bureaucracy, but the sheer size and fragmented nature of the U.S. government confound the problem of control and make efforts to reform the bureaucracy a high priority. Primary points discussed in this chapter are the following:

• Modern government could not function without a large bureaucracy; through hierarchy, specialization and rules, a bureaucratic form is the only practical way of organizing large-scale government programs.
• America's bureaucracy is expected simultaneously to respond to the direction of partisan officials and to administer programs fairly and competently. These conflicting demands are addressed through a combination of personnel management systems--the patronage, merit and executive leadership systems.
• Bureaucrats naturally take an "agency point of view," which they promote through their expert knowledge, support from clientele groups and backing by Congress or the president.
• Although agencies are subject to scrutiny by the president, Congress and the judiciary, bureaucrats are able to achieve power in their own right.