watched the Rich bureaucracy lectures

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+The United States Bureaucracy
+- Stereotypically slow and tedious/inefficient
+- Compare to industrialized (like not Latin America) democracies
+
+Government is a service industry
+- US Gov has roughly 3 million employees
+
+Bureaucracy: a large organization structured hierarchically to carry out
+specific functions
+    - The ideal -- Efficient administration
+
+Differences between public and private bureaucracies
+    - Public = government (GA, US, GT), private = company
+    - Leadership in private companies is "earned"
+    - Leadership in gov't is appointed, so
+    - Incentive for performance
+        - Private sector ties compensation directly to performance
+          (e.g. commission)
+        - No incentives tied to easy measures of performance
+At least, this is true in the US.
+
+Three Models of Bureaucracy
+Weberian Model (private sector)
+    - Hierarchical with formal rules and regulations, top-down,
+      technical and rational/neutral
+Acquisitive Model (Gov)
+    - Protect one's own "turf" rather than org-wide motives
+    - Individual self-serving motivations
+Monopolistic Model (Gov)
+    - Model of inefficiency
+    - Only place you can get the service, so why compete
+    - Ex: DDS, Defense Dept
+Gov's bureaucracy is generally inefficient because of its structure
+
+15 major executive service organizations
+    - 60% of all civilian workers
+Independent Executive Agencies
+    - CIA, NASA don't report to cabinet member
+Government Corporations
+    - Organized like private firm (USPS)
+        - Still not Weberian because they deliver things others won't
+Independent Regulatory Agencies
+    - Implement and make rules to protect the public
+    - Nuclear Regulatory Commission
+    - Federal Communications Commission
+    - Develop an acquisitory model to gain budget, responsibility, etc
+    - Acquisition can create overregulation
+
+- What one item has 41K regulations? (most serve a purpose)
+    Not pharmaceuticals (few regulations because of the lobby)
+    Not cars (lots of power in the economy -> not too many regs)
+    - Cheeseburger
+    - Adds 8 to 11 cents on the price
+- Some might be a little extreme
+    - The pickle slice *must* be between 1/4" and 3/8" thick
+Chocolate can have up to one rodent hair or 60 insect pieces per 100g
+Frozen brocolli can have up to 60 pests per 100g
+Fewer than 5 fly eggs or 1 maggot per 250ml of canned orange juice
+
+Staffing the bureaucracy
+Two categories
+    - Political appointees
+        - Presidential nominations
+        - Senate approves them
+        - Party politics is important to getting appointed
+        - "Political plums": unimportant ambassadors
+    - Civil Servants
+        - Position established by Pendleton Act
+            - Requires meritocratic selection
+        - President used to be able to fire all old civil servants to
+          reward their political party ("to the victor goes the spoils")
+        - Hatch Act prevents federal bureaucrats from campaigning
+
+Modern Attempts at Bureaucratic Reform
+- Sunshine Laws
+    - "Shed light" on gov't
+    - Full disclosure of gov't agencies
+- Sunset Laws
+    - Requires congressional reviews of effectiveness of agency programs
+    - If ineffective, may move or get shut down
+- Privatization
+    - Theory: competitive contracts mean you get the cheapest provider
+      of good/service
+    - If company fails, it just gets more money to finish it
+- Performance and Results Act
+    - Sort of establishes the bare minimums an agency/program must meet
+- Internet
+    - Has consolidated a LOT of information, bulletins, interviews
+    - Free, always-available, easier
+    - Ex: IRS relations have gotten much better/easier
+- Whistleblower Protection Act
+    - Report waste and fraud anonymously
+    - In recent impeachment proceedings, violated by outing them
+
+How does the US compare (to its industrialized democratic peers)?
+- France -- *Grand Corps*, National School of Administration (ENA)
+    - Common training, common language, same goals
+        - WAY more effective
+    - Very elitist...mostly upper class, 40% have a family background
+        - Mostly from Greater Paris Area suburbs
+    - "These princes who govern us," semi-sovereign
+        - Inflexible, poorly represents France as a whole
+- Germany
+    - Combines moral sense and legalism
+        - Derived from a regimental military state
+    - Mostly lawyers
+        - Generally consistent and useful bureaucracy
+        - But homogenous mindset, and prefers legalism to moralism
+    - Like France, loyal to the state
+- Japan
+    - Very attractive, very competitive (esp for youth)
+    - Graduation with honsors is a must, and Tokyo U helps.
+    - Regimented schedule and criteria for promotion
+    - Abnormally high level of political influence
+        - 90% of all legislation passed comes from them
+    - Only actually a few hundred jobs each year
+    - Good "professional" bureaucracy, but it might not reflect
+      political culture
+But these bureaucracies still have similar problems to the US. Why?
+- None can perfectly fit the Weberian model