Teaching Ideas for Chapter 15:
The Federal Bureaucracy

• Have each student select one of the independent regulatory agencies and write a brief essay on the history and powers of the agency. Ask students to focus on the "capture" theory and try to determine how well--or how poorly--the theory fits the agency the student selected.

• Ask students to research current law and policies regarding the relationships between former government officials and government bureaucrats. Should these now-private citizens be able to use their former positions in order to obtain access for lobbying activities? Have your class propose changes to current federal policies on such lobbying activities.

• If yours is a fairly small community, have each student prepare a "service directory" of local government agencies. They will probably be surprised to find how many government offices and services are available even in small-town areas.