Oops. I put the answer in the wrong place. Here it is again:
Here are six reforms designed to improve operation of the bureaucracy:
1. Adoption of civil service -- Civil service had its start in New
York in 1877. The Pendleton Act of 1883 established federal civil
service, which was designed to standardize hiring, limit political
favoritism, establish procedures for hiring and promotion, and
generally make government employment more professional.
Backgrounder on the Pendleton Act
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/28.htm
2. Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 -- The law made major changes in
labor-management relations, allowing greater use of collective
bargaining and other means of negotiation. The act also included the
formation of the Senior Executive Service.
A Short History of the Statute
http://www.flra.gov/reports/20yr1.html
Introduction to SES
http://www.opm.gov/ses/intro.html
3. Hatch Act -- This law restricts the political activities of federal
employees. Similar laws exist in some states.
Political Activity: Hatch Act
http://www.osc.gov/hatchact.htm
4. Congressional Budget Act of 1974 -- Created the Congressional
Budget Office to provide Congressional oversight of spending in the
executive branch. This was followed up by the Budget Enforcement Act
of 1990, designed to prevent spending beyond the budget.
OMB in Perspective
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/organization/omb_overview_slides.pdf
5. Freedom of Information Act -- The law is designed to allow members
of the public to obtain documents that show, among other things, how
the agencies make their decisions. Most states also have similar laws,
many of them more far-reaching than the federal legislation.
Freedom of Information Act
http://www.eeoc.gov/foia/
6. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1990 -- The law was designed to reduce
unnecessary paperwork by both bureaucrats and citizens. Agencies were
to provide justification for required paperwork.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980
http://www.usbr.gov/laws/pra.html
7. Department of Homeland Security -- This is a bonus listing for you,
because the department hasn't been formed yet. If it is approved, it
would reorganize many of the departments within the federal government
to enhance interdepartmental communications.
The Department of Homeland Security
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/
In many ways, the reforms have been effective over the years in
weeding out corruption. Although the U.S. bureaucracy isn't perfect,
it appears to much less affected by graft and corruption than the
agencies in other countries. It has also been relatively stable;
despite changes in the parties ruling the White House and Congress,
continuity of government is the norm, largely because of civil
service.
What has been less successful in recent years have been efforts to
reduce the size of the bureaucracy. Although President Reagan was
elected largely on promises to reduce the size of government, he
failed to achieve many of his goals. Every president since then has
promoted some efforts to reduce government, but major reform has
proven elusive. The resistance to change has been blamed largely on
special interests that benefit from the agencies, plus the fact that
many agencies provide services for popular programs, such as Social
Security and safety regulation.
I hope this fully answers your question.
Best wishes,
mvguy
Search strategy: terms used included "bureauracy," "civil service,"
"pendleton act," "government reform," "freedom of information" and
"homeland security." |
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