Download Shaping Public Policy

Bureaucracies and Regulatory Agencies
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Main function is to organize and operate the
federal government
Bureaucracies must respond to:
The Constitution
Federal laws
The Three Branches
Public interest groups
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The Cabinet
Manage specific policy areas: defense, labor,
state, etc.
Regulatory Agencies
Legislative power: issuing regulations
Judicial power: enforcing penalties for
violations
Known as “alphabet agencies”
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Interstate Commerce Commission
Federal Trade Commission
Food and Drug Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
Consumer Product Safety Commission
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President can:
Appoint heads of agencies
Issue executive orders
Reorganize federal departments
Congress can:
Control the budget for regulatory agencies
Exercise oversight through reviews and
hearings (usually through the committee
process)
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Describes the interrelationship among
bureaucracies, the government
(congressional committees), and interest
groups
Cable television – Federal Communications
Commission
 Food labeling – Federal Trade Commission
 Pollution control – Environmental Protection
Agency
 Airline safety – National Transportation Safety
Board
The public, interest groups, and the media can
all impact the regulatory and policy making
process
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