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Expertise |
-Generally limited to a specific area, sometimes dif= ficult to see the “big picture”.&nb= sp; -Institutions limited “mission” can lead= to mission creep…eventually leading to duplication with other institutions. -Can lead to a sense of “Imperialism” (w= e know best and stay out of our hair!) |
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Dedication- long Career |
-Employees develop a loyalty and protectionist attit= ude towards the organization. <= /p> -Likely to attribute more value to the organization = than is generally considered appropriate. -Employees can become lazy. Difficult to assess the quality of their job ( no profit or loss statement). |
|
Hired on merit |
-May have little loyalty to the people in power, For instance-Military under Clinton (Gay issue) or EPA under Bush (Global Warming) Pendleton A=
ct-
Established the merit system (today less important, more name request job=
s,
more discretion for particular people for particular jobs as specializati=
on
has increased)
On the other hand the employees are theoretically hi= red based off their knowledge/expertise |
|
Apolitical |
Employees may have views diametrically opposed to Similarly, if the political views of many in the institution differ from the govt, it may lead= to sabotage/undermining, primarily by not acting or leaking information. Both are rare!’ Hatch Act-
ensures that employees of the Fed. Govt. do not use any of the facilities=
for
political purposes
-Despite the apolitical nature of the institution,
employees at the higher levels still try to please the boss
(President/Cabinet Official et. al) often to simply take the pressure
off. <squeaky wheel gets=
the
grease> |
|
Organized structure- Hierarchical |
-Chain of command leads employees to become detached= and impersonal (next number PLEAze!) -non-discretionary authority and limited expertise l= eads to remoteness from the public. (THAT’S NOT MY JOB!-GO TO THE NEXT L= INE) -Example- A research study on the effects of pestici= des on small children was cancelled after 2 senators threatened to stop the nomination proceedings for the new EPA head. The study paid parents and gave = them a camcorder to document the effect of pesticides on their children (omg) Levels and chains of command are so extensive that information has a tough time flowing downward, or upward Example, 9/11/01 Terrorists Visa application to stay in the country were stamped approved in 2002!!= ! Institution itself develops a “power structure”; certain jobs are viewed as the means to advancement Example: Fighter Pilot in the Air Force as opposed t= o an analyst in the Air Force |
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Open to public scrutiny- because this is the “government” and the people have an interest; fairness, due process and openness are required of the organization on virtually all th= eir actions |
Employees act cautiously and defensively, interest groups. Little risk taking = since there is little to no benefit in doing so, Agents in Minnesota and San Diego received negative = feedback for pushing too hard at investigating specific persons who later were determined to be involved in the 9/11 attacks Unlike private business where a “good” b= ut risky idea may lead to big bucks (generally large corporations are in a similar boat) what’s the benefit to an employee of taking a “chance” “fairness” and “due process rules” dictates that all outside groups get a fa= ir shake, Often the interest g= roups have diametrically opposed ideas.. Example environmental impact statements and businesss impact statements are often required of a development. Contracts, and the like, have to be put in public no= tices w/objective standards and criteria to determine who gets the job. Time consuming and sometimes needlessly leads to oodles of red tape. Example- Ash tray in the textbook |
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Rivalries between institution leads to thorough deba= te |
Rivalries lead to backstabbing. Each group tries to protect its = budget and “mission” |
|
Employees can honestly and w/out fear of retribution= do the “right thing” |
Difficult to fire, even for mis= or nonfeasance |
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Stable institutions that have a long history and exp= ertise in a subject area |
Difficult to kill the institution which often metamorphasizes beyond its original mandate when it “accomplishes its task”. This mission creep is often a fac= tor in the tendency of institutions w/in govt to ove= rlap and end up w/duplicative purposes. Examples
CIA and FBI and DI and NSA State and Commerce and Import-Export Bank Can al= so lead to institutions working at cross-purposes INS- Facilitate immigration and travel from overseas,
Protect Institutions can develop incestuous relationships w/outside groups and congressional committees Iron Issue Network- factor that may lead to hyperpluralism a. b. |
DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY- Agency’s right to inter= pret, create standards and implement legislation
TRUST FUNDS- Monies that automatically go into a progr= am (medicare/social security) and are then a corpus of fu= nds available to that organization. Congress has fewer “purse strings” in the case of Trust Funds
LEGISLATIVE VETO- eg. EPA = makes a finding on the amount of arsenic that can be in water- the decision lies in waiting for a period of time (30 to 60 days) to allow Congress to negate the decision. This was determined= to be unconstitutional, nonetheless Congress and agenc= ies still largely utilize this