The foremost source of administrators influence over policy is their expertise . A combination of specialization and experience means that bureaucrats tend to know more about their subject areas than anyone else, and elected officials frequently defer to their judgment. At the same time they often exercise considerable discretion . As a result of the dynamics of political compromise and other limitations, Congress often hands down vague policy mandates to which administrators must give substance. Their decisions inevitably involve political choices.
Civil servants exercise both direct and indirect influence.
As advisers to elected officials, bureaucrats give advice that is seldom neutral or purely technical but rather reflects agency interests. Each year the bureaucracy issues far more rules than Congress does laws. It also possesses quasi-judicial authority in the form of administrative adjudication . The result is that bureaucrats inevitably make a significant portion of the policy decisions that shape our lives. How to hold these unelected agents accountable is an enduring dilemma for a democratic society.