Introduction
A bureaucracy is a way of administratively organizing large numbers of people who need to work together. Organizations in the public and private sector, including universities and governments, rely on bureaucracies to function. The term bureaucracy literally means “rule by desks or offices,” a definition that highlights the often impersonal character of bureaucracies. Even though bureaucracies sometimes seem inefficient or wasteful, setting up a bureaucracy helps ensure that thousands of people work together in compatible ways by defining everyone’s roles within a hierarchy.
http://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/american-governmen…
The term "government agency" or "administrative agency" usually applies to one of the independent agencies of the United States government, which exercise some degree of independence from the President's control. Although the heads of independent agencies are often appointed by the government, they can usually be removed only for cause. The heads of independent agencies work together in groups, such as a commission, board or council. Independent agencies often function as miniature versions of the tripartite federal government with the authority to legislate (through the issuing, or "promulgation" of regulations), to adjudicate disputes, and to enforce agency regulations (through enforcement personnel). Examples of independent agencies include the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_agency
Task
◊ Create your own web quest of seven major government bureaucratic agencies.
Process
◊ Propose a new government agency; outline its purpose and how it would help the government operate more efficiently. Also, propose to eliminate an existing agency, be sure to justify its removal.
I would add cyber security as a government agency. This would stop hackers from stealing important secrets or plans from the United States.
The Education agency should be removed. Ronald Reagan himself pitched the “deregulation by federal government of public education” as part of the 1980 Republican platform and its been a GOP calling card ever since. The American Spectator in 2012 proposed wiping the department away entirely and restoring its $68.1 billion budget to offset the deficit, while transferring its authority to states and local agencies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_agency
Evaluation
Promote the public good | National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation |
Protect the nation | Armed forces, Coast Guard, Central Intelligence Agency |
Sustain a strong economy | Federal Reserve Bank, Export-Import Bank, Securities and Exchange Commission |
Conclusion
Government bureaucrats perform a wide variety of tasks. We often think of bureaucrats as paper-pushing desk clerks, but bureaucrats fight fires, teach, and monitor how federal candidates raise money, among other activities.
The job of a bureaucrat is to implement government policy, to take the laws and decisions made by elected officials and put them into practice. Some bureaucrats implement policy by writing rules and regulations, whereas others administer policies directly to people (such as distributing small business loans or treating patients at a veterans’ hospital). The task of running the government, and providing services through policy implementation, is called public administration.