Learning Objectives

8-1 What Is Bureaucracy?

  • Describe the bureaucracy as part of the executive branch of government, organized hierarchically, that implements federal policy.

8-2 What Does the Federal Bureaucracy Do?

  • Define delegated authority and explain the oversight function of Congress over the bureaucracy.

8-3 The Development of the Federal Bureaucracy

  • Describe how the federal bureaucracy has evolved over time, including substantial growth spurts as a result of the New Deal and Great Society programs and the Cold War.

8-4 Getting Control of the Growing Bureaucracy

  • Explain methods for attempting to control or reduce the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy through privatization, devolution, deregulation, and accountability.

8-5 The Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy

  • Distinguish between the different types of agencies in the federal bureaucracy.

8-6 The Federal Workforce

  • Describe the large scope of the federal workforce and the civil service rules governing federal employment.