Sources of Bureaucratic Power

Bureaucracy. The term evokes feelings of disgust, distrust, annoyance, and fear from most Americans. After all, bureaucracies are huge, inefficient, power-thirsty machines that squander mountains of government money and crush anyone who gets in the way. Bureaucracies are also, however, essential parts of the finely-oiled machine of American government. Bureaucracies such as the police, FBI, and FDA are very important to our day-to-day lives. To serve their functions, though, they need a certain amount of power. What are the sources of bureaucratic power?

1. Congress

By creating a federal agency, commission, or department, Congress is delegating a part of its power to a bureaucracy. It is extending part of the congressional powers granted in article I of the constitution to another group with the expectation that that group will operate as Congress desires. Congress sets the basic purpose and guidelines and leaves the agency to iron out the details.

2. Iron Triangle

There is a very strong relationship pattern between bureaucracies, congress, and interest groups. This gives all three groups a significant amount of power. The US Food and Drug administration, for example, will find powerful allies in the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies as well as in any food and drug related interest groups. When working together, the iron triangle is a force to be reckoned with and is a serious source of bureaucratic political power.

3. Expertise

Bureaucracies gain most of their power from the expertise of their members. Rigorous tests are administered to those wishing to join government agencies; government workers are skilled in their fields. The simple fact of the matter is that Congress can not do everything. Even with its hundreds of members, Congress lacks the expertise and manpower to handle all of the details that bureaucracies handle. Bureaucracies exist to implement the vague policies that Congress sets. This gives them considerable power, as they are given the power to implement the policies of congress as they see fit. Congress grants them this power because of their expertise, and trusts them to act based on their skills and knowledge.

Bureaucracies are often met with distrust, but in truth, they are good at what they do, and our government would not be functional without them. The United states is simply too large to be managed by congress alone-so Congress does the logical thing by delegating its powers to bureaucracies that can handle the details of the day-to-day aspects of running the government. Their main power, then, comes not from some vague government mandate but from their expertise. While there are certainly inefficiencies in the system, bureaucracies are good at what they do. Perhaps they deserve a little more trust than they are given.

"The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy." 18 May 2009 .

"Congressional Committees and Subcommittees." Minneapolis Colocation - St. Paul Colocation - Minneapolis Managed Hosting - St. Paul Dedicated Hosting - High-speed Connectivity - DSL - Minnesota Web Hosting | Duluth | VISI. 18 May 2009 .