Bureaucracy and Democracy

by Gormley, William T., JR.

• ISBN13: 9780872893474
• ISBN10: 0872893472
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-04
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

It is nearly impossible to look at the implementation of any policy&BAD:-from testing at an elementary school to testing of a pharmaceutical drug&BAD:-and avoid seeing the impact and influence of public bureaucracies. Given the importance of their work, and the accountability they owe to the American public, the performance of public bureaucracies must be assessed in a systematic manner. Working through four key perspectives&BAD:-bounded rationality, principal-agent theory, interest group mobilization, and network theory&BAD:-Gormley and Balla give students the analytic power needed to comprehensively evaluate performance, or the give-and-take between decision makers, managers, elected officials, organized interests, and individuals.In addition to updating the book to account for recent developments and new scholarship&BAD:-from the No Child Left Behind Act and presidential appointments to the Program Assessment Rating Tool and changes to the rulemaking process&BAD:-the authors apply their working theories in a new chapter on the politics of disaster. With in-depth coverage of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the avian flu, students can learn important lessons from looking at similar events and crises through the same analytical lenses.

Author Biography

William T. Gormley Jr. is University Professor and professor of government and public policy at Georgetown University. He is the author of several books, including Organizational Report Cards, with David Weimer, and Everybody's Children: Child Care as a Public Problem. Steven J. Balla is associate professor of political science, public policy and public administration, and international affairs at George Washington University. He is also a research associate at the George Washington Institute of Public Policy and a member of the International Working Group on Online Consultation and Public Policymaking.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Bureaucracies as Policymaking Organizations	p. 1
The Contours of Public Bureaucracy	p. 5
Accountability and Performance in Public Bureaucracies	p. 8
Accountability and Its Many Faces	p. 11
The Evolution of Accountability	p. 13
The Limits of Accountability	p. 14
The Push for Performance	p. 15
The Government Performance and Results Act	p. 17
The Program Assessment Rating Tool	p. 19
Agency Reputations in the Real World	p. 21
Accountability and Performance: Theories and Applications	p. 24
Bureaucratic Reasoning	p. 28
The Bounded Rationality Model	p. 31
Simplified Problem Solving	p. 34
Problem Disaggregation	p. 34
Standard Operating Procedures	p. 35
Sunk Costs	p. 38
Simulations and Tests	p. 39
Implications for Policy Analysis	p. 40
Motivation	p. 41
Empathy and Commitment	p. 42
Representative Bureaucracy	p. 43
Attitudes toward Risk	p. 44
Organizational Advancement	p. 45
Promoting Organizational Cohesion	p. 47
Consequences of Bounded Rationality	p. 49
A Narrow Search	p. 49
Problem Disaggregation	p. 50
Approximations	p. 50
Standard Operating Procedures	p. 52
Conclusion	p. 53
The Bureaucracy's Bosses	p. 55
Delegation, Adverse Selection, and Moral Hazard	p. 57
Why Bureaucracy?	p. 59
Why Delegation Varies	p. 62
Implementing Child Care Legislation	p. 65
Managing Delegation	p. 67
Presidential Power	p. 68
Congressional Control of the Bureaucracy	p. 78
Judicial Review	p. 85
Principal-Agent Theory and the Bureaucracy's Clients	p. 89
Principals and Principles	p. 91
The Bureaucracy's Clients	p. 94
The Benefits, Costs, and Politics of Public Policy	p. 96
The Rise and Fall of Iron Triangles	p. 99
The Venues of Client Participation	p. 104
The Notice and Comment Process	p. 104
Advisory Committees and Other Venues of Collaboration	p. 106
Political Intervention	p. 109
Client Participation and the Internet	p. 110
Client Influence on Bureaucratic Policymaking	p. 115
Business Organizations	p. 117
Public Interest Groups	p. 119
State and Local Governments	p. 121
Clients and the Institutions of Government	p. 124
Client Participation: Three Lessons and Beyond	p. 125
Who Participates Varies	p. 125
Venues Vary	p. 126
Influence Varies	p. 126
Networks	p. 128
Network Theory	p. 130
The Tools Approach	p. 134
Intergovernmental Relations	p. 137
Environmental Protection	p. 137
Health Policy	p. 141
Public-Private Partnerships	p. 144
Contracting Out	p. 144
Energy Policy	p. 145
Mental Health Policy	p. 145
Welfare Policy	p. 146
Corrections	p. 147
Partnerships without Contracts	p. 147
Environmental Protection	p. 148
Education	p. 148
Interagency Networks	p. 149
The Cabinet	p. 149
Office of Management and Budget	p. 150
Interagency Coordination	p. 151
Czars	p. 153
Networks' Effectiveness	p. 155
Tools' Effectiveness	p. 158
Grants-in-Aid	p. 158
Regulation	p. 160
Information	p. 161
Networks: Some Conclusions	p. 163
The Politics of Disaster Management	p. 166
Hurricane Katrina: A Crisis with Precedent	p. 168
FEMA's Evolution	p. 169
Katrina Strikes	p. 172
Applying the Theories	p. 173
The Coast Guard and Other Success Stories	p. 177
September 11, 2001: A Crisis without Precedent	p. 179
The First Response	p. 180
Bureaucracy after 9/11	p. 182
The Iraq War	p. 185
Bureaucratic Theories and Future Terrorist Attacks	p. 187
Avian Flu Pandemic: A Crisis in the Making?	p. 190
National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza	p. 192
Using the Theories to Forecast	p. 193
Evaluating Bureaucracy in Light of the Theories	p. 197
Why Are Some Bureaucracies Better Than Others?	p. 200
Rating the Performance of Agencies	p. 201
Explaining Variations in Performance	p. 202
Tasks	p. 203
Relationships	p. 208
Political Support	p. 209
Leadership	p. 213
Bureaucracy in the Twenty-First Century	p. 217
Appendix: Web Resources	p. 221
Notes	p. 225
Index	p. 251
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