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The Administrative Bureaucracy and Consent of the Governed

Essential Question:

  • What is the role of the bureaucracy in our constitutional system?

Objectives:

  • Students will understand the constitutional principle of consent of the governed
  • Students will form their own opinions on how to have the federal bureaucracy best align with the principle of consent of the governed

Materials:

Explore:

Begin class by writing the phrase “consent of the governed” on the board. Ask students if they know what Founding document the phrase is from and what they think it means. Write a few student answers on the board and then discuss. Students should understand that it comes from the Declaration of Independence, and that the definition is “the power of government comes from the people.” Have students write down an example of how consent of the governed can be seen in our system of government. Examples will include elections and public opinion on matters shaping representatives’ votes on policies.

Next, ask students what they know about the federal bureaucracy. Be sure that students understand that it is part of the executive branch and is tasked by Congress with administrative duties related to executing the law. Explain that the bureaucracy began to grow significantly at the beginning of the twentieth century and is now referred to as the “fourth branch” of government by some due to its size, power, and ability to operate somewhat outside of congressional oversight or administrative control of the president.  Tell students that they will now read a passage written by Woodrow Wilson, a strong supporter of large bureaucracies running the administration of government who are unelected because of his belief that government managed by scientific experts would bring order, control, and efficiency rather than the messiness of representative politics.

Engage:

Distribute Woodrow Wilson, “The Study of Administration” (1887) to students. Have them read and write a 1-2 sentence summary of each section in the right-hand column. Then have them answer the comprehension questions.

Once finished, distribute Restoring Democracy and Accountability in Government Executive Order. As students read, have them take notes to summarize each section. Once finished, have students write a short paragraph explaining the purpose and meaning of this executive order.

Assess:

Reconvene the class and collect the paragraph responses. Then hold a classroom discussion around how the two readings demonstrate different viewpoints of an independent administrative bureaucracy. Below are some example discussion questions:

  • Congress creates, funds, and has some oversight over the bureaucracy, but in many ways, it does not have control over it. What challenges does this create for the principle of consent of the governed?

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