Module 13

    Bureaucracy is simply a large complex administrative organization that is structured hierarchically in a pyramid-like fashion. Government bureaucrats carry out the policies of elected government officials. Bureaucrats deliver our mail, clean our streets, teach in our public schools, run our national parks, and attempt to ensure the safety of our food and the prescription drugs that we take. “A bureaucratic organization allows each person to concentrate on her or his area of knowledge and expertise.” The reason the bureaucracy exists is that Congress, over time, has delegated certain tasks to specialists. Another key aspect of any bureaucracy is that the power to act resides in the position rather than in the person. Like I mentioned before we encounter bureaucracy every day without knowing it. Two types of bureaucracies impact citizens: federal bureaucracies and state bureaucracies. Some examples of bureaucracy services include having mail delivered to your home, going to school, receiving Social Security benefits, paying income taxes, eating safe, non-toxic food, driving a car, breathing clean air, having police protection, working in a safe environment, drinking non-polluted water, purchasing products made in other countries. Why is bureaucracy important? Because improves the quality of life.

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