Functions of the Bureaucracy
America's bureaucracy performs three primary functions to help keep the governmental beehive buzzing along.
1. The bureaucracy implements the laws and policies made by elected officials.
These laws and policies need to be put into practice in specific situations and applied in all the contingencies of daily life. For example, a city council has decided that all dog owners must have their pets licensed and microchipped, but the city council members don't have the time to make sure that their decision is carried out. City workers, members of the city's bureaucracy, are the ones who answer questions and complaints about the law, help dog owners fill out the proper forms, decide when to waive the license fee, refer owners to veterinarians who can insert the microchips, work with the vets to hand out coupons for discounts on microchips, and enforce the law to make sure that all dog owners have their animals licensed and microchipped in a reasonable amount of time.
2. The bureaucracy provides necessary administrative functions, like conducting examinations, issuing permits and licenses, and collecting fees.
Essentially, it handles the paperwork of everyday government operations. Anyone who has a driver's license has come face-to-face with bureaucratic administration through the required written and behind-the-wheel exams, learning permits, fees at all stages, and finally applying for and receiving the driver's license itself.
3. The bureaucracy regulates various government activities.
In other words, it creates the rules and regulations that clarify how various laws work on a daily basis. For instance, the bureaucracy is responsible for writing rules and regulations for public schools, including curriculum standards, examination procedures, discipline methods, teacher training and licensing requirements, and administrative policies. Schoolchildren feel the effects of these regulations when they work on their assignments or take standardized tests. Teachers use them to design class work and assessments. Principals and school boards must follow them when applying for funding or setting policies for their own schools and districts.
The Face of Bureaucracy
The bureaucracy can seem harsh and faceless to many Americans, who often get fed up with its strict rules and time-consuming procedures, but in fact, most bureaucrats, people who work in the bureaucracy, are simply their neighbors and fellow citizens. Who are all these busy bee bureaucrats who implement, administer, and regulate citizens' interaction with the government? A few interesting facts will introduce us to them.
America's bureaucracy performs three primary functions to help keep the governmental beehive buzzing along.
1. The bureaucracy implements the laws and policies made by elected officials.
These laws and policies need to be put into practice in specific situations and applied in all the contingencies of daily life. For example, a city council has decided that all dog owners must have their pets licensed and microchipped, but the city council members don't have the time to make sure that their decision is carried out. City workers, members of the city's bureaucracy, are the ones who answer questions and complaints about the law, help dog owners fill out the proper forms, decide when to waive the license fee, refer owners to veterinarians who can insert the microchips, work with the vets to hand out coupons for discounts on microchips, and enforce the law to make sure that all dog owners have their animals licensed and microchipped in a reasonable amount of time.
2. The bureaucracy provides necessary administrative functions, like conducting examinations, issuing permits and licenses, and collecting fees.
Essentially, it handles the paperwork of everyday government operations. Anyone who has a driver's license has come face-to-face with bureaucratic administration through the required written and behind-the-wheel exams, learning permits, fees at all stages, and finally applying for and receiving the driver's license itself.
3. The bureaucracy regulates various government activities.
In other words, it creates the rules and regulations that clarify how various laws work on a daily basis. For instance, the bureaucracy is responsible for writing rules and regulations for public schools, including curriculum standards, examination procedures, discipline methods, teacher training and licensing requirements, and administrative policies. Schoolchildren feel the effects of these regulations when they work on their assignments or take standardized tests. Teachers use them to design class work and assessments. Principals and school boards must follow them when applying for funding or setting policies for their own schools and districts.
The Face of Bureaucracy
The bureaucracy can seem harsh and faceless to many Americans, who often get fed up with its strict rules and time-consuming procedures, but in fact, most bureaucrats, people who work in the bureaucracy, are simply their neighbors and fellow citizens. Who are all these busy bee bureaucrats who implement, administer, and regulate citizens' interaction with the government? A few interesting facts will introduce us to them.
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