Chapter 13: The Bureaucracy

Synopsis As the scope of government activity has grown during the twentieth century, so has the bureaucracy. The way that bureaucracy is organized affects its ability to carry out its tasks.

Americans are constant critics of the federal bureaucracy. We tend to believe that it has grown too big and too intrusive. In looking at the historical development of the bureaucracy, we can identify important reasons for its growth. When we ask if the bureaucracy can be cut down, we once again confront the tension between majoritarianism and pluralism. Although most Americans want a smaller federal government, different segments of the population work hard to protect the programs and agencies that are of value to them.

Bureaucracies are conventional because they make policy decisions. Under the administrative discretion given them by Congress, they have the authority to make policy, usually through rule making or adjudication. These decisions are not carried out in a scientific or purely rational way. Rather, they are subject to the pulls and pushes of the political system.

It seems easier to catalogue the failings of bureaucracy than it is to find cures for them. In recent years, deregulation has been seen as a means to reduce the size of government while reforming the bureaucracy by diminishing its role over the marketplace. However, As the savings and loan scandal and other problems illustrate, risks as well as benefits are associated with deregulation.