What Government Does

Opening Question

When you woke up this morning, how many times did government touch your life before you got to class?

Think about: water, roads, traffic lights, food safety, weather reports, emergency services…

Today’s goal: Understand what government actually does and how it does it

Debunking the “Big Government” Myths

Five Common Misconceptions

• Myth 1: Government keeps getting bigger and bigger
• Myth 2: Government wastes huge amounts of money
  
• Myth 3: Government employees are lazy and inefficient
• Myth 4: Private sector always does things better
• Myth 5: We can easily cut government without consequences

Reality: The picture is much more complex

The Structure of American Government

How Many Governments Do We Have?

• 1 Federal Government
• 50 State Governments
• Local Governments:
  • 3,000+ counties
  • 19,000+ municipalities
    
  • 16,000+ townships
  • 13,000+ school districts
  • 38,000+ special districts (water, fire, transit, etc.)
• Tribal Governments: 574 federally recognized tribes
• Territorial Governments: 5 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.)
• Total: Over 90,000 distinct government entities

Criminal Justice Implication: This creates coordination challenges for law enforcement across jurisdictions

Government Employment Reality Check

Where Do Government Employees Actually Work?

Federal: 2.2 million civilian employees (about 15% of government workers) State: 5.2 million employees Local: 14.2 million employees (about 65% of government workers)

Most government employees work for:

• Schools and universities
• Police and fire departments
  
• Hospitals and health services
• Transportation and utilities

What Does Government Actually Do?

Core Functions Across Levels

Providing Services:

• Education, public safety, infrastructure, health care

Regulating Behavior:

• Traffic laws, business regulations, environmental protection

Redistributing Resources:

• Social programs, economic development, disaster relief

Protecting Rights:

• Courts, law enforcement, civil rights enforcement

Criminal Justice: A Multi-Level Example

Federal Level:

• FBI, DEA, federal courts, federal prisons
• Immigration enforcement, terrorism prevention

State Level:

• State police, state courts, state prisons
• Crime labs, training academies

Local Level:

• Municipal police, county sheriffs, local courts
• Local jails, community supervision

The Challenge: Coordinating across all these levels

How Government Gets Things Done

Direct vs. Indirect Administration

Direct Administration: Government employees provide the service

• Examples: Police officers, firefighters, court clerks

Indirect Administration: Government contracts with others to provide services

• Examples: Private prisons, contracted security, private attorneys

Modern Reality: Most government work involves both approaches

Tool 1: Contracts

Government by Contract

The Growth of Contracting:

• Massive increase since the 1980s
• Now used for everything from IT services to prison operations

Criminal Justice Examples:

• Private prisons and detention centers
• Contracted food services in jails
• Private security for government buildings
• Technology contractors for court systems

Key Challenge: How do you maintain accountability when someone else is doing the work?

Contracting: Benefits and Risks

Why Government Contracts Out

Potential Benefits:

• Specialized expertise
• Cost savings
• Flexibility in staffing
• Access to latest technology

Potential Risks:

• Loss of direct control
• Profit motive vs. public interest
• Accountability gaps
• Dependency on contractors

Real Example: Private prison debates - efficiency vs. justice concerns

Tool 2: Grants

Using Money to Encourage Action

How Grants Work: Government provides funding to encourage activities that might not otherwise happen

Criminal Justice Examples:

• COPS grants for community policing
• Byrne Justice Assistance Grants for state/local programs
• VAWA grants for domestic violence programs
• Drug court implementation grants

The Power: Federal government can shape local priorities through grants

Tool 3: Regulations

The Rules That Shape Daily Life

Regulations influence everything:

• How police conduct searches and arrests
• Food safety in restaurants
• Building codes for jails and courthouses
• Environmental standards for government facilities

Example: Miranda rights - a court ruling that became standard police procedure nationwide

The Tension: Balancing necessary rules with flexibility and freedom

Tool 4: Tax Expenditures

Using the Tax Code to Encourage Behavior

Tax Breaks as Policy Tools:

• Mortgage interest deduction (encourages home ownership)
• Charitable deductions (supports nonprofits)
• Economic development tax credits for businesses

Criminal Justice Connection:

• Tax incentives for businesses that hire ex-offenders
• Property tax breaks for neighborhood watch programs
• Sales tax exemptions for public safety equipment

Tool 5: Loan Programs

Government as Lender and Guarantor

Examples You Might Know:

• Student loans for college
• Small business loans
• Disaster recovery loans
• Housing loans

Criminal Justice Applications:

• Loans for police equipment purchases
• Funding for jail construction projects
• Economic development loans for crime-affected areas

The Reality: Government by Proxy

What This Means

Government today works through:

• Federal employees + state employees + local employees
• Private contractors + nonprofit organizations
• Grantees + loan recipients + regulated entities

Example: A federal anti-drug program might involve:

• Federal DEA agents
• State-funded drug courts
• Locally-contracted treatment providers
• Nonprofit prevention programs
• Private laboratory services

Why This Complexity Matters

Accountability Challenges

When things go wrong, who’s responsible?

• The contractor who failed to perform?
• The government agency that hired them?
• The elected official who approved the contract?

Example: Private prison problems - who’s accountable for conditions?

The Challenge: Maintaining democratic accountability in a complex system

The Trust and Effectiveness Question

Public Perception vs. Reality

Common Complaints:

• “Government is too big”
• “Government wastes money”
• “Government doesn’t work”

Reality Check:

• Most services people value are government-provided
• Government often works through private partners
• Problems often result from complex coordination needs

Your Role: Understanding how government really works helps you work within it more effectively

Criminal Justice Coordination Example

A Drug Investigation Case

Federal: DEA provides intelligence and resources State: State police coordinate multi-county operations
Local: Local police make arrests and gather evidence Courts: Multiple court systems handle different aspects Corrections: Various facilities house different defendants Private: Labs analyze evidence, attorneys represent defendants

Question: How do you ensure this complex system works effectively?

Implications for Public Administrators

What This Means for Your Future Work

You’ll Need to:

• Coordinate across multiple levels of government
• Manage contracts and partnerships effectively
• Navigate complex accountability relationships
• Balance efficiency with democratic values
• Work with diverse stakeholders and organizations

Bottom Line: Modern public administration is about managing networks, not just hierarchies

Module 3-1 Summary

Key Takeaways:

• Government is larger and more complex than most people realize
• Most government work happens at state and local levels
• Government uses multiple tools beyond direct service provision
• Modern governance involves extensive partnerships and contracts
• Accountability becomes challenging in complex systems
• Understanding this complexity is essential for effective public administration

Next: How government organizes itself to accomplish these complex tasks