Chapter 03 Courts Have Permitted Federal Funding Nonprofits That

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CHAPTER

The Continuous

Reinventing of

the Machinery

of Government

1. Explain the framework (administrative architecture) and

identify the types of, and justifications for, the administrative

structures that comprise government in the US.

pp. 91–97

2. Identify the components and responsibilities of state

pp. 98–108

I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading Chapter 3 in the textbook, the student should be able to:

II. SUGGESTED LECTURE

A. The Machinery of Government

The Machinery of Government means the interconnected structures and pro-

cesses of government at the federal, state, and local levels. The machinery of

II. Suggested Lecture

that deficiencies and errors exist within their systems, resulting in limitations or

outright errors in services that the government provides to the people. They may

then undertake the process of reorganization or reinvention of government, such

B. The Administrative Machinery of Government

The Constitution structures the political, economic, and social lives of the people,

and so, appropriately, it begins with the opening phrase, “We the people.” This puts

C. Executive Branch Machinery

The most complex machinery of public administration resides in the executive

branch, which contains a variety of organizational categories:

1. The Executive Office of the President is a collective term that includes the top

presidential staff agencies, which provide advice to the president in a variety

of administrative areas and on issues of significant national priority.

D. State and Local Government Machinery

State and local governments parallel the national model. The Tenth Amendment

to the Constitution provides that the “powers not delegated to the United States

by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States

respectively, or to the people.” This “reserved powers” clause holds in reserve the

30 The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

CHAPTER 3

E. Reforming the National Machinery of Government

The twentieth century witnessed a number of major reform committees and com-

missions that scrutinized government machinery.

1. The Brownlow Committee: government grew rapidly and haphazardly during

the New Deal. To help the president manage his assignments, the Brownlow

Committee substantially increased the size of the presidential staff in 1936.

F. Reinventing Government

By 1980, the tax revolt movement in 38 states forced the government to reduce

or stabilize tax rates. Then the Reagan revolution came along, with its slogan

G. Micromanagers

A consequence of government reform. A variety of other executive branch

reforms that tinkered with the machinery of government took place beside the

ones mentioned above. The combined effect of these laws was to unleash a mob

H. Privatization

The contemporary debate over privatizing government might be traced back

to the second Hoover Commission report of 1955. Privatization may refer to

III. Assessments

potential payoff in efficiency and productivity. Opponents note that privatiza-

tion is not trouble free and may lead to abuse and misuse. At a minimum, pri-

vatization raises special concerns when it comes to the military (e.g., problems

III. ASSESSMENTS

Multiple–Choice Questions

1. The Merit Systems Protection Board petitions the government to become

a government corporation. Which of these questions will likely arise?

a. Is its business essentially commercial?

b. Does it generate its own revenue?

2. The Commission form of county government:

a. is the least common form of county government.

b. is the most common form of county government.

c. has legislative and executive authority.

d. b. and c.

p. 96, d

3. To eliminate bossism in local government, the early progressives suggested

that:

a. municipalities bypass the state government and report to the federal

4. According to Dillon’s Rule:

a. there is primacy of local law over state law.

b. there is primacy of state law over local law.

c. there is primacy of local law over federal law.

d. none of the above.

p. 101, b

32 The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

CHAPTER 3

5. Which of the following is an example of a regulatory commission?

a. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

b. Department of Homeland Security

c. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

d. a. and c.

p. 96, d

6. The American tradition of philanthropy, charity, and volunteerism comes

from the ancient roots of:

7. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a government corporation?

a. The agency’s business is essentially commercial.

b. The agency can generate its own revenue.

c. Congress provides 100 percent of the corporation’s revenue.

d. The agency’s mission requires greater flexibility than government

agencies normally have.

pp. 96, c

8. The non-profit sector:

a. is a uniquely democratic phenomenon.

9. Privatization refers to the following:

a. the sale of government assets, such as railroads or housing units, to

private corporations.

b. the private financing of public facilities, such as prisons, toll roads, and

highways.

c. a. and b.

d. neither a. nor b.

p. 106, c

10. The Grace Commission Report based its philosophy on the notion that:

a. government could solve problems of the business sector.

11. The Obama administration:

a. has been accused of a return to big government policies.

b. has defended its major expansion into the economy as a temporary phase.

III. Assessments

c. a. and b.

d. neither a. nor b.

p. 116, c.

12. The difference between philanthropy and charity is that:

a. philanthropy is giving based on solving social problems in a developmental

Chapter 3 Student Self Assessment Questions

Q1 Privatizing means that issues traditionally addressed by the public sector

are contracted out, or provided by, the private sector. Which one of the

following is not a justification for privatization?

Q2 What is the key reason it is difficult to reduce the size of government?

Q3 Why did Woodrow Wilson say “it is getting harder to run a constitution

than to frame one”?

Q7 The bulk of federal departments fall under which branch of government?

Q8 According to the table of governments in the chapter, which region of the

country has the most units of government?

Q9 Government organizations can take many different configurations. Which

of the following is one of them?

Q10 The separation of powers among the three branches of government gives

certain powers to specific branches of government. This separation

emphasizes what?

Q11 Which Constitutional Amendment holds that the “powers not delegated

to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states,

are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people”?

34 The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

CHAPTER 3

Q16 The authors argue that, “Philanthropy has, to a large extent, been

institutionalized.” They state that, “Its role has changed from random

charitable or community developmental efforts to systematic efforts to

find causes for focused efforts.” This is leading toward what trend in

philanthropy?

Commission was formed. What was this result?

Q19 It is becoming increasingly popular for regions to form metropolitan

governments. Why?

Q20 Which of the following is not true about privatization?

Q21 In terms of having its recommendations accepted and implemented, which

of the government reform commissions was the “most successful”?

Q22 What is marketplace failure and how does it affect the nonprofit sector?

IV. ACTIVITIES

Group Exercise: The Role of Government in the

Twenty-first Century

Divide the class into two groups.

Group 1 is the “Invisible Hand of Government” group. This group will argue

for a lesser role for government in the twenty-first century.

Group 2, “Visible Hand of Government,” will argue that government appro-

priately has a much broader role to play in the lives of its citizens in the twenty-first

century.

The Details

You are a senior analyst in the firm of Quick and Devoe Associates, a man-

agement consulting firm in Cannonsville, California. Cannonsville is basically a

IV. Activities

university town with the large Cannonsville University as its core enterprise—

an organization that has special expertise in veterinary medicine and in the man-

The Issues

Q Low revenues due to lack of visitor interest, development funding, and fund-

ing options such as retail sales, special programs, and exploration of govern-

ment grant monies.

The Goals

The zoo needs to be updated in terms of its three strategic goals: recreation, con-

servation, and education. You have been asked to look at several options for “rein-

venting” the zoo. Should it be privatized? Should it become a non-profit entity?

Discussion Questions

1. What form of county government machinery is in existence in your county?

Explain the political, economic, and social climate of government in your

county as a consequence of the existing government. Evaluate what you see as

the pros and cons of the more traditional county commissioner-administrator

form of county government with the newer council-executive form of county

government.

Instructor’s Note: Students should be aware that in the commissioner–

36 The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

CHAPTER 3

2. The authors state that “many wealthier Americans would rather not have

any local government at all, but rely on private corporations to service their

often-gated communities.” Analyze this statement.

Instructor’s Note: Wealthier Americans have the choice to bypass local

government and buy the services of private corporations to police and pro-

a degree of disgust and disengagement from government.

3. Explain the difference between philanthropy and charity. Use examples from

private and public non-profit organizations to describe these differences.

Instructor’s Note: Philanthropy is the giving of money or the self to

solve social problems. It is developmental in nature, and represents an

investment in the future in an effort to prevent future occurrence of some

4. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of faith-based initiatives. Do these

initiatives violate the First Amendment establishment clause, which creates a

wall of separation between church and state?

Instructor’s Note: In addition to the First Amendment issues that are

raised by faith-based initiatives, this is a useful vehicle for getting students

in conjunction with service eligibility.

Writing Exercises

Using one of the following key words or phrases of your choice, write a short anal-

ysis linking the word or phrase from the text to an incident in your workplace, your

daily life, or a media report that you have heard.

checks and balances city charter

IV. Activities

Group Exercise

Critical Thinking: “President Obama Consolidates Government”

“Reinventing Government” is not a new concept in American politics. In recent

history, both Presidents Reagan and Clinton aspired to cut government, reduce

waste and abuse. President Barack Obama continues with this effort of his pre-

decessors. At his State of the Union message in 2011, President Obama observed:

“We shouldn’t just give our people a government that’s more affordable. We should

give them a government that’s more competent and efficient. We cannot win the

future with a government of the past.”

In 2012, the President is making good on this promise by consolidating fed-

eral agencies. On January 13, 2012, President went before Congress to give

But the bill foundered in a turf-conscious Congress, It was resubmitted in 2015—

but this too went nowhere in a congress that was anti-Obama everything.

Source: Professor Breena E. Coates, Department of Management, California State

University, San Bernardino.

Instructor’s Note: Comment on both the timing and the value of this move by the

president. Is this reorganization or reinvention?

Individual Exercise

The text notes that government creates and leaves behind new governmental

machinery whenever it seeks to address a major new issue. Explore the Recov-

CASE STUDY Reinventing Government—Homeland

Security

The attacks of September 11, 2001 exposed weaknesses in the government’s

38 The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

CHAPTER 3

The strategy was described as a “national effort,” and not merely a federal

plan. A vast reengineering of federal agencies was undertaken to bring them

within the jurisdiction of the DHS, for better coordination and control. Many

of these agencies were reorganized under the DHS with each of their individual

core missions superseded by the primary mission of homeland security.

The transition period saw a number of personnel practices, organizational

Source: Coates, B.E., PA600, Scope of Public Administration, San Diego State

University—IVC, Fall 2003. Adapted from “Environmental Issues In Home-

land Security,” by Crocker, James W., Army War College, March 31, 2003.

Questions

1. Discuss the major thrust behind reinvention of government via the

Homeland Security Act.

2. How do you think the various organizational cultures of the once-

separated agencies are faring under their newly reconstructed

mission?

Discussion and Writing Assignment

Use the following information, and search additional sources for a discussion on

Juvenile Incarceration Facilities: Moving from

Public to Private Hands

The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and other smaller private compa-

V. Additional Web Resources

and advertises high rates of investment returns to its stockholders. The CCA and

others are now vying for the juvenile incarceration market.

Supporters of privatization contend that a privately owned and managed cor–

poration would be more efficient and effective with managing this service. They

also argue that the competition would have a likely positive spillover effect to make

publicly owned facilities more efficient.

V. ADDITIONAL WEB RESOURCES

National Corporation for Public Service

www.nationalservice.gov

AmeriCorps

www.americorps.gov

This is an organization that offers opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds

to serve the nation through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit

National Academy of Public Administration

www.napawash.org

The National Academy of Public Administration provides insights on key public manage-

US Government Manual Online

www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/

Online access to the US Government Manual, which is the official handbook for the fed-

40 The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government

CHAPTER 3

Government Executive

http://www.govexec.com/

Modeled along the lines of Business Week (so do expect some commercial ads) this monthly

Governing

http://www.governing.com/

The state and local counterpart to Government Executive, the Web site to this monthly

Alliance for Nonprofit Management

USA.gov for Nonprofits

National Council of Nonprofits

Center for Faith–Based and Neighborhood Partnerships