THE FEDERAL WORKPLACE

Modern government would not be possible without a bureaucracy, which enables the nation to pursue large, complicated programs. For many Americans the term "bureaucracy" carries negative connotations even though most people are satisfied when they deal with a bureaucrat one on one. The federal bureaucracy was quite small in the nation’s early years because the government did not provide many services. As the government took on more and more responsibilities, however, the bureaucracy had to grow to handle new programs.

Learning objectives:

• Define bureaucracy and explain the three principles upon which a bureaucracy rests.
• Identify, explain, and give examples of the five general forms that units of federal bureaucracy fall into.
• Discuss the federal bureaucracy’s job of policy implementation and how it leads to bureaucratic influence.
• Explain the development of the federal bureaucracy’s employment practices, including patronage, the merit system, and the executive leadership system.
• Describe the public’s attitude toward the federal bureaucracy, both overall impressions and opinions of one-on-one encounters.
• Discuss some of the problems associated with the federal bureaucracy.