Executive Branch and the Bureaucracy
What are the formal and informal powers of the Presidency?
Formal powers include: Address Congress about the State of the Union, recommend legislation, convene both Houses of Congress on “extraordinary occasions, veto legislation, position as Commander-in-chief of the armed forces, make treaties, appointment power, receive ambassadors, enforce laws, consult with heads of executive departments, fill vacancies during a recess of the Senate, grant pardons and reprieves for federal offenses except in cases of impeachment. Informal powers: Executive agreements, executive orders, send troops without a declaration of war, setting and enacting the nation's legislative agenda, etc.
How does the president use these powers to influence policy?
Is the president too powerful or not powerful enough in comparison to the judicial and/or legislative branches?
I would say the balance of power between the president and the other branches is almost right. If the president seems to become to powerful then the House can vote to impeach him and the Senate can convict him. Also, if the president can't be stopped by the legislative branch, then the judicial branch can declare his executive actions (such as executive orders) to be unconstitutional.
What are the specific issues addressed in public policy making?
Just about anything that is identified as a problem and is out on the political agenda. For example, unemployment, poverty, piracy, etc.
Define the "iron Triangle," does it exist and if so how does it influence policy implementation?
The iron triangle is the special relationship between congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. The iron triangle does exist and policy within a particular area may be more leniently enforced in order to benefit a particular group of people, such as interest groups.
Who controls the bureaucracy: The president? Congress? The People?
No one person or group controls the bureaucracy; actually, authority over the bureaucracy is divided among both the executive and legislative branches. Likewise, no one person or group controls the president; I would like to think that the other two branches and the people control the president, as he is supposed to do what the people want, and the other two branches place restrictions on his powers through their constitutional checks on him. The same goes for Congress: congressional members get elected to serve the interests of the people, and they are watched by the other two branches of government as well. Lastly, government controls the people to an extent. The government places restrictions on what we can and cannot do in order to best serve our interests. Although you could also say that the people control the people, because the people are the ones who elect government representatives and push for legislation.
Does a largely permanent professional bureaucracy serve democracy?
I think yes: the bureaucracy exists to carry out the laws and orders of the government, which is itself essentially a bureaucracy. The bureaucracy, then, serves the interest of the people by carrying out the policies that the people want.
Can the growth of the bureaucracy in America be stopped or even slowed down?
There is no easy answer to that question. Although most people claim to oppose the bureaucracy, many people actually depend on it to survive. The giant increase in the size of the bureaucracy can be attributed to the Great Depression and President FDR's New Deal of the 1930's, when many millions of Americans started to depend on numerous government agencies to survive day in and day out. In order for the bureaucracy to cease growing economic conditions need to get better and people need to depend less on government to get by in life. Since the 1930's, the economy has improved, but not to a point where stopping the bureaucracy's growth would be a good idea.
Does Congress practice effective oversight of the bureaucracy?
Probably yes and no. Congress makes sure that the bureaucracy does what it is supposed to do with such tools as the power of the purse, hearings, and investigations. However, because congressional committees constitute a part of the iron triangle, agencies within the bureaucracy may have more power than is acceptable.
Formal powers include: Address Congress about the State of the Union, recommend legislation, convene both Houses of Congress on “extraordinary occasions, veto legislation, position as Commander-in-chief of the armed forces, make treaties, appointment power, receive ambassadors, enforce laws, consult with heads of executive departments, fill vacancies during a recess of the Senate, grant pardons and reprieves for federal offenses except in cases of impeachment. Informal powers: Executive agreements, executive orders, send troops without a declaration of war, setting and enacting the nation's legislative agenda, etc.
How does the president use these powers to influence policy?
- He can prevent certain policy from becoming reality by vetoing it.
- He can promote new policies by enacting a new legislative agenda. For example Nixon's detente initiative led to several agreements between the United States and Russia.
- He can recommend legislation which a member of congress may end up introducing for discussion and voting
Is the president too powerful or not powerful enough in comparison to the judicial and/or legislative branches?
I would say the balance of power between the president and the other branches is almost right. If the president seems to become to powerful then the House can vote to impeach him and the Senate can convict him. Also, if the president can't be stopped by the legislative branch, then the judicial branch can declare his executive actions (such as executive orders) to be unconstitutional.
What are the specific issues addressed in public policy making?
Just about anything that is identified as a problem and is out on the political agenda. For example, unemployment, poverty, piracy, etc.
Define the "iron Triangle," does it exist and if so how does it influence policy implementation?
The iron triangle is the special relationship between congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. The iron triangle does exist and policy within a particular area may be more leniently enforced in order to benefit a particular group of people, such as interest groups.
Who controls the bureaucracy: The president? Congress? The People?
No one person or group controls the bureaucracy; actually, authority over the bureaucracy is divided among both the executive and legislative branches. Likewise, no one person or group controls the president; I would like to think that the other two branches and the people control the president, as he is supposed to do what the people want, and the other two branches place restrictions on his powers through their constitutional checks on him. The same goes for Congress: congressional members get elected to serve the interests of the people, and they are watched by the other two branches of government as well. Lastly, government controls the people to an extent. The government places restrictions on what we can and cannot do in order to best serve our interests. Although you could also say that the people control the people, because the people are the ones who elect government representatives and push for legislation.
Does a largely permanent professional bureaucracy serve democracy?
I think yes: the bureaucracy exists to carry out the laws and orders of the government, which is itself essentially a bureaucracy. The bureaucracy, then, serves the interest of the people by carrying out the policies that the people want.
Can the growth of the bureaucracy in America be stopped or even slowed down?
There is no easy answer to that question. Although most people claim to oppose the bureaucracy, many people actually depend on it to survive. The giant increase in the size of the bureaucracy can be attributed to the Great Depression and President FDR's New Deal of the 1930's, when many millions of Americans started to depend on numerous government agencies to survive day in and day out. In order for the bureaucracy to cease growing economic conditions need to get better and people need to depend less on government to get by in life. Since the 1930's, the economy has improved, but not to a point where stopping the bureaucracy's growth would be a good idea.
Does Congress practice effective oversight of the bureaucracy?
Probably yes and no. Congress makes sure that the bureaucracy does what it is supposed to do with such tools as the power of the purse, hearings, and investigations. However, because congressional committees constitute a part of the iron triangle, agencies within the bureaucracy may have more power than is acceptable.