Describe the challenge of bureaucratic accountability.What is oversight,what are the different kinds of oversight and how does congressional action shape bureaucratic responsibility? What are some possible ways in which the president can gain more control of the bureaucracy?

There are three components to this question.
a.Challenge of bureaucratic accountability: By their very nature,bureaucracies pose challenges to democratic governance.Although bureaucracies provide the expertise needed to implement the public will,they can become entrenched organizations that serve their own interests.The notion of bureaucratic accountability implies that some higher authority will guide and judge the actions of the bureaucracy.The highest authority in a democracy is "the people," and the guidance for bureaucratic action is the popular will.But that ideal must be translated into practical terms by the president and Congress.
b.Oversight and congressional action in shaping bureaucratic responsibility: Oversight refers to the effort by Congress,through hearings,investigations,and other techniques,to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies.Congress can engage in "police patrol" oversight ( regular hearings on agency operations)or "fire alarm" oversight (prompted by media attention or advocacy group complaints).Congress is constitutionally essential to responsible bureaucracy because the key to bureaucratic responsibility is legislation.When a law is passed and its intent is clear,the accountability for implementation of that law is also clear.Then the president knows what to "faithfully execute," and the responsible agency understands what is expected of it.But when Congress enacts vague legislation,agencies must resort to their own interpretations.The president and the federal courts often step in to tell agencies what the legislation intended.
c.Presidential control of the bureaucracy: Each expansion of the national government into new policies and programs in the twentieth century was accompanied by a parallel expansion of the president's management authority.Presidents have attempted to reform the bureaucracy in order to exert more control.President Carter's reorganization of the executive branch (including the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978)and President Clinton's NPR are two notable examples.These reforms have increased the managerial capacity of the presidency,but such reforms themselves do not ensure democratic accountability; presidents must put their managerial powers to use.