WHAT ROLES DO DUREAUCRATS PLAY IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS?

Bureaucrats play a number of roles in the political process. Among
them are:

-- They adopt rules and regulations to enforce the laws adopted by
legislative bodies.  For example, there may be a law that says
medicinal drugs can't go on the market unless they're safe, but it's
the bureaucrats that determine which ones are safe.

-- They write laws that are considered by legislative bodies. 
Although Congress (for example) decides which laws to pass, often the
wording of the laws is often based on the recommendations of
bureaucrats. In this case, the bureaucrats can come from either the
executive branch or from the staff of Congress.

-- They serve as the interface between the people and the government.
Legislative bodies often determine what the public thinks based on how
bureaucrats interpret the public mood.

-- Sometimes, bureaucrats can thwart the objectives of the political
process.  An example might be in some U.S. states that have passed
laws outlawing affirmative action, but various agencies have adopted
rules and procedures that limit the application of the change in law.

-- Bureaucrats often directly lobby legislative bodies.

-- Bureaucrats inform legislative bodies of various needs.  For
example, if a certain highway is dangerous, a state legislature might
not know about it unless informed by the road department, which seeks
money so it can fix the road.

-- Bureaucrats vote just as other citizens do, and in some political
jurisdictions that numbers can be substantial enough to affect
election outcomes.

-- Through various policies, bureaucracies can sometimes BE the
political process.  In the United States, for example, the Federal
Reserve Board has substantial influence over the country's economic
policies, at times having more influence than does the Congress.

-- Bureaucrats can help determine which issues come to the forefront. 
For example, health agency can promote publicity about AIDS if it
wishes to increase funding for AIDS research.

-- Bureaucrats can be involved in settling disputes over how laws are
interpreted.

-- Bureaucrats are often the ones that enforce the laws passed by
legislative bodies.

-- Bureaucrats can be involved in helping to build coalitions that
influence the political process.

I hope you find this list useful.  It was developed on the basis of
personal knowledge as one who holds a poli sci degree and by perusing
through pages that showed up on the following Google search:

search term: "role of bureaucrats"
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=%22role+of+bureaucrats%22

Best wishes,

mvguy