Author Question: What are independent regulatory commissions, and how are they independent? Why are they removed from ... (Read 153 times)

ENagel · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

What are independent regulatory commissions, and how are they independent? Why are they removed from presidential and congressional control?

Answer:

Question 2

How much has diversity increased in the federal workforce in the last 50 years? How diverse is the workforce now? How might the federal bureaucracy increase its diversity?

Answer:

cdmart10 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 10, 2018

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1. Define independent regulatory commissions as units in the executive branch that make and enforce rules to protect the public interest, such as the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Communications Commission.
2. Note that that their independence comes from the structure: commissioners, once appointed, serve long terms and cannot be dismissed by the president; and these commissions do not report to the president like independent agencies do.
3. Explain that these agencies are removed from presidential and congressional control so that they will be insulated from political influence in decision-making.

Answer to Question 2

An ideal response will:
1. Describe how the federal bureaucracy has changed from the 1950s, when most employees were white and most female employees were in lower-level positions, to 2013, when the number of women and minorities in the federal workforce reached an all-time high.
2. Note that today women make up almost half of the federal workforce and minorities about one-third; however, in spite of the increases in numbers, women and minorities are not equally represented in all departments and agencies, and they are not represented at all levels of the bureaucracy (e.g., they hold barely 15 percent of the top jobs).
3. Identify that one way to increase diversity throughout the departments would be to recruit more women into the military and technical departments, and a way to increase diversity at all levels would be to increase training and mentoring programs to move both women and minorities into professional and management positions