Final answer:
American bureaucracy is noted for its autonomy, driven by a large federal budget and less strict lines of authority. With a historical preference for privatization and centrist politics, it contrasts with the more extensive government services common in European democracies. Challenges in oversight are met by legislative and judicial means in the U.S.
Step-by-step explanation:
The American bureaucracy operates with a significant degree of autonomy, mainly because of the large size of the federal budget and less well-defined lines of authority within agencies compared to the bureaucracies of most Western European democracies. Historically, the United States has a higher tendency towards privatization in bureaucracies, reflecting its strong free-market capitalism ethos. European countries often embrace a broader role for government in service provision, offering extensive cradle-to-grave welfare programs.
Moreover, the U.S. possesses a unique party system that tends to present more centrist political options in contrast to the European parliamentary system, which accommodates a wider political spectrum. This affects the bureaucracy and the government's regulatory role, with the European variety generally being more extensive in terms of government services provided. Bureaucratic autonomy in the U.S. also lends itself to specific challenges in oversight, which Congress and the president address through various mechanisms, such as bureaucratic oversight staff and judicial review.