It is only where roles are loosely structured that a civil servant's attitudes come into play. The nature of the job . Some agencies have a sense of n-tission, a clear doctrine that is shared by its members. Thus the mission of the agency may become synonymous with the public interest in the minds of many bureaucrats. An agency's mission, however, must be accomplished within an array of laws, rules, and regulations-dealing with hiring and firing, freedom of information, accounting for money spent, affirmative action, environmental impact, and administrative procedures.
Agencies also have overlapping and even conflicting missions.
These characteristics make controlling the bureaucracy difficult, no matter which party occupies the White House. External forces . All federal agencies are nominally subordinate to the president. Bureaucrats, like people generally, desire autonomy-to be left alone, free of bureaucratic rivals and close political supervision. A less risky strategy is to develop strong allies in the private sector that will provide political support in Congress.