Assignment 4 - the context of the American bureaucracy

Overview

The focus this week is on the impact of Congress, the President, and judges on federal agencies.  Wilson provides a rich contextual analysis on the changing relationships among these powerful actors over the last one hundred years and the impact these changing relationships have on the power and discretion of federal executives.   Many of Wilson's insights apply to state and local executives as well.   

Reading Assignment

• Wilson chapters 13, 14, 15.

Preparation for class discussion
I will divide the class into three groups.  Each group will be responsible for leading the class discussion on their assigned chapter.  Each group may use the black board, a Power Point slide show, a skit, a simulated interview with a legislator, President or judge.  In preparing for this discussion, you will probably want to communicate with your team members over the telephone, bulletin board, chat room or e-mail.   Be sure to divide up responsibilities, to share what you are finding with each other, and integrate each member's contribution into a coherent presentation.  The material that you prepare will be posted under the course notes so that everyone can use it when preparing for the final exam.  

Chapter 13: Congressional control over federal agencies
A major actor in the political environment of a federal agency is Congress.   Thus, assume a contingency theory perspective and address the following question:  "Under what circumstances are the resources of Congress likely to be the most effective in shaping agency behavior?"  To fully answer this question, there are several preliminary questions that must be answered.

• How has Congress traditionally exercised control over federal agencies and how has Congress weakened its exercise of these traditional powers?
• How has Congress's micromanaging of agencies changed?   (Explain the movement from benefit-oriented micro management to rule oriented micro management.)
• What changes in the political environment of Congress that has facilitated and reinforced the change from benefits oriented to rule oriented micro management of federal agencies?
• How does the agency's task and environment influence Congress's ability to exercise control over the agency?
• How do agency heads respond to legislative efforts to control their agency?

Chapter 14: Presidential control over federal agencies
Wilson argues that the legislature dominated the bureaucracy during the first 150 years of the Republic.  Over the last 60 years, power has shifted to the executive.

• How did Franklin Roosevelt significantly enhance executive power in comparison to Congressional power and then use this power used to enhance Presidential influence over federal agencies?
• In response to the growth in executive powers, there has been the phenomena of the "iron law of emulation."  What impact has this had on legislative powers, on legislative executive relations, and on their relationships with federal agencies?
• How can the President use his powers of choosing people, altering procedures, reorganizing agencies, and coordinating activities across agencies to control the behavior of federal agencies?   How is the exercise of these powers often restricted?
• What can an agency do to resist Presidential influence or control?

Chapter 15: Judges control over federal agencies
Historically judges have not attempted to tell an executive of a federal agency how to use his or her discretion.  For better or for worse, that has changed.

• What was the initial stance of the courts that largely kept them out of the decisions made by government agencies?  How did this change?
• What impact has judicial intervention had on the management of federal agencies? (Consider the cost, power, and policy affects)
• What are the differences between the perspectives of judges and bureaucrats?  How well can we expect a judge to manage an agency?  What will be their blind spots?  What can they do that appointed executives cannot?

Additional References

Review the footnotes in Wilson's chapters 13, 14, 15 at the end of his book.

created by Dennis Hostetler, dhostet@siue.edu

last updated January 8, 2002