What exactly does the bureacracy do?

Question

i have no idea!

Answer 1

Hi SoS,

So far, everyone's given you answers that beat around the bush. Let me see if I can simplify it for you.

The president and Congress are responsible for setting the policy agenda. Shall we heve health care for the elderly? Shall we fund hurricane relief? These broad questions are political, and so the political branches set them. But once the policy decisions are made, someone has to make these policies work -- and that is the job of the bureaucracy.

You want healthcare for the elderly? Fine. But someone has to set the methods by which the elderly report their medical expenses. Someone has to determine what expenses the government will or will not pay.

You want hurricane relief? Someone has to organize the relief effort. Someone has to organize it, and tell people where to go and what to do. And of course, all of these things cost money. So someone has to create a method for collecting taxes, and distributing funds throughout the government.

All of these things, and more, are what bureaucrats do. Congress and the President decide policy objectives, and then those broad objectives are given over to men and women who work in the executive departments, bureaus and agencies, and are tasked with coming up with all of the mechanical and organizational details that turn these broad goals into actual working programs that allow people to walk into a government office, fill out a form, and get the assistance they need.

All of these mechanical aspects of administration are what bureaucrats do. Hope this helps. Cheers.

Answer 2

Since most people either give you a technical definition or rant about our government, I'll give you a more direct answer in layman's terms.

The bureaucrats are essentially the ties between the government and the people. They are the busy work that indirectly influences legislation, acts, and laws. Committees form within Congress who work through interest groups and bureaucrats.

In this (it's called the Iron Triangle), Committees give support to interest groups, who, in turn, relay information to the Committees. The Committees then take that information and, with the high funding they have, do research on it and send their information to the bureaucrats. The bureaucrats then give that information to the Interest Groups. The Interest Groups then give their support to bureaucrats who influence the Committees decisions to pass legislation in favor of the Interest Groups. The bureaucrats are often the ones who introduce bills into legislation with help of the committees.

Aren't politics fun?!

Answer 3

Well you can go to Wikipedia and get the definition:

Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules are socially organized. This office organization is characterized by standardized procedure (rule-following), formal division of responsibility, hierarchy, and impersonal relationships.

The bureaucracy must be referring to people working within the government rather than the process itself. We need a bureaucracy in order to make sure that laws, rules and procedures are not changed willy-nilly or at a whim (does that remind you of our last 2 presidents?).

Answer 4

They take a simple task and complicate it so much that one person can not possibly understand what the original task was.
Here is an example (Satire of course):

The Government was storing scrap metal in a warehouse for years.

One day Congress decided that they needed someone to watch over this warehouse and make certain nothing got stolen so they appropriated $50,000 to hire a man to watch the warehouse.

The budget committee then decided they would need to keep track of how many hours during a 24 hour period the man watched the warehouse and to direct him in his duties so they appropriated $225,000 to hire three men to make certain the man watched the warehouse during the hours he said he did.

Then they had to hire a payroll department to pay these men and appropriated $150,000 to hire payroll personnel.

Then they had to administer his health care so they had to hire a Human Resource department at a cost of $200,000

Then they needed to hire an administrator plus assistants to oversee all these departments and employees. at a cost of $425,000.

Then came the audit and it was discovered that they were running about $50,000 dollars over budget.

So they laid off the guy who was hired to watch the warehouse.

Answer 5

It's the only way to make sure that everything's getting done. It's recognizably inefficient, but nobody's figured out a better system that works on a large enough scale. If you've got something, your country could use your help!

Answer 6

Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules are socially organized. This office organization is characterized by standardized procedure (rule-following), formal division of responsibility, hierarchy, and impersonal relationships.

Examples of everyday bureaucracies include governments, armed forces, corporations, hospitals, courts, ministries and schools.

Answer 7

They institute the mandates of the governmental entity that created them. They enforce regulations and carry out government policy.

Answer 8

Since you didn't name one, it is difficult to answer your question!

Beureacratic organizations can deal in many different things, it is simply a theory on how they are run.

bu·reauc·ra·cy [byoo-rok-ruh-see]
–noun, plural -cies.
1. government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials.
2. the body of officials and administrators, esp. of a government or government department.
3. excessive multiplication of, and concentration of power in, administrative bureaus or administrators.
4. administration characterized by excessive red tape and routine.

Answer 9

Specializes in creating "red tape."

Answer 10

Mostly nothing.
The only thing it does very well is p*ss people off bigtime.