A federal government is a system of governance that shares power between the national government and the local governments.
What is the structure of the federal bureaucracy? In your opinion, should the federal bureaucracy be considered, as it is by some, as the "real government"? Why, or why not?
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The federal bureaucracy has the role of implementation, administration, and regulation of federal programs. The bureaucracy is part of the executive branch of the government. The structure of the federal bureaucracy can be summarized into four sections.
The first section is the cabinet departments. These administrative units have responsibility for large areas of government operations such as law enforcement. There are a total of 15 cabinet departments which are headed by a cabinet secretary who is appointed by the President. The departments are organized into smaller divisions, bureaus, agencies, and offices. For instance, within the justice department, there is the FBI, a bureau that majors in investigations.
The second section is the independent executive agencies. The congress structures these agencies and their operations are independent of the executive branch (Selin, & Lewis, 2018). The agencies are mandated to perform service functions and not regulatory functions. Some of the agencies include the CIA and NASA.
The third section incorporates independent regulatory commissions. The commissions are also independent of the cabinet structure, and their function is the regulation of critical economic interests such as the Federal Reserve. Most of the commissions are governed by board members who are appointed by the president.
The fourth section of the bureaucracy incorporates government corporations. The president appoints the boards that run these corporations. The government also appropriates funds to these corporations as capital for the business operations. Some of such corporations include the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) which provides electricity and runs recreational facilities.
I share a similar opinion that federal bureaucracy should be considered as the real government. This is because the bureaucrats are the ones who get things done for the government. They run every government function while the elected politicians enjoy the spotlight. For instance, the FBI has a crucial role in law enforcement which no politician would be able to accomplish. Max Weber, a German sociologist, once said that ‘the importance of the bureaucracy in getting things done’ (Niskanen, 1975). A well-organized bureaucracy is behind the success of most modern societies.
What is the structure and role of the judiciary system? Give at least one example of how the judicial system can curb the power of the bureaucracy and one example each of how it can curb the power of the executive and legislative branches.
The judiciary operates independently of the executive and legislative arms of the government. The judiciary has an active role in the interpretation of the law in case of a dispute or a crime committed by an individual. The basic structure of the judiciary has the courts of special jurisdiction at the bottom of the hierarchy. These courts handle specific types of cases. For instance, a family court could make rulings on divorce and custody while a bankruptcy court handles bankruptcy issues (Burnham, 1995). Above the courts of special jurisdiction are the trial courts. This is where most cases are settled. There are two types of trial courts, civil and criminal
Courts. An evidence-based trial is done here, and the jury and the judge reach their verdict based on the facts about the case presented to them. Above the trial courts are the Appellate courts where parties not satisfied with the decision made at the trial level may appeal their case. The function of the appellate court is to judge whether the lower court made mistakes of the law concerning the appealed case. At the top of the hierarchy is the Supreme Court. If the parties are still not satisfied with the decision made by the appellate court, they can appeal with the Supreme Court, the highest court in the judicial system.
The judicial system can curb bureaucracy power in several ways. For instance, a federal judge can issue injunction orders to an executive agency thus regulating their power and jurisdiction. Similarly, the judicial system can curb the power of the executive and legislative agencies through judicial reviews. For instance, they can check the constitutionality of the laws made by the legislature or the constitutionality of an executive order. This makes both the executive and the legislature to make decisions that abide by the constitution to avoid creation of a constitutional crisis.
What is the iron triangle, and how does it affect the creation of government policy?
The iron triangle is composed of the policy-making relations that exist among the three critical groups in policy making and implementation. The three groups are the Congress, the federal bureaucracy and the interest groups. The central assumption is that each of these groups is vital in policymaking. For instance, the interest groups finance most of the political campaigns for most members of congress. This makes the Congress members feel indebted to them; hence they are influenced in their policy-making decisions. They often pass policies that favor the interest groups that financed their campaigns.
Similarly, congress can influence the bureaucracy through budgetary measures which prompt the bureaucracy to implement policies that favor the Congress (Balla, & Wright, 2001). The interest groups may also influence the bureaucracy since they can influence Congress to make decisions that support the bureaucracy. This results in an iron triangle where the decision made by one party is controlled by the other.
What has this unit taught you about the inner workings of the federal government?
The federal government has a significant role in the operations of the government. The federal government executes the essential functions of the government. The executive, judiciary and the legislature have substantial influence in the activities of the federal government. For instance, the executive has the power to appoint the heads of various agencies in the bureaucracy while the legislature influences policy implementation through budgetary controls.
References
Balla, S. J., & Wright, J. R. (2001). Interest groups, advisory committees, and congressional control of the bureaucracy. American Journal of Political Science, 799-812.
Burnham, W. (1995). Introduction to the law and legal system of the United States. St. Paul, Minn: West Publishing Company.
Niskanen, W. A. (1975). Bureaucrats and politicians. The Journal of Law and Economics, 18(3), 617-643.
Selin, J. L., & Lewis, D. E. (2018, October). Sourcebook of United States executive agencies. Administrative Conference of the United States, Office of the Chairman.
