gov ch 8

What is a bureaucracy?

A complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and hierarchical authority used to implement government policy

Subsidies

Financial incentives to lower costs, support specific industries

Burecratic structure

Top-down chain of command, specialized roles, procedures, impersonal relationships

Agency capture

Gov failure when regulatory agencies, tasked with acting in public interest, become dominated by the industry they regulate. Can lead to weakened enforcement, reduced market competition, higher consumer costs, skewed regulations

Civil servant

Non-partisan expert employees who provide public services and implement gov policies at federal state and local levels

bureaucratic culture

the norms and patterns of behavior that shape how an agency operates.

spoils system

where political winners gave government jobs to loyal supporters

Regulatory capture

Form of gov failure where the regulatory agencies, designed to protect the public, instead advance the commercial or political interests of the industries they oversee

rotation in office

The practice of serving in government temporarily and then returning to private life

Why did the spoils system cause problems?

It rewarded loyalty over competence, leading to inefficiency and corruption

what event led to civil service reform

President Garfield’s assassination in 1881

What did the Pendleton Act of 1883 do?

Required federal jobs to be filled based on merit rather than political affiliation

What system did the Pendleton Act establish?

the modern merit-based civil service system

When did the federal workforce grow dramatically?

during WWII

Why does the federal government delegate authority?

To implement policies without dramatically increasing the federal workforce

What are Cabinet departments?

Major executive departments led by secretaries who advise the president

Largest Cabinet department by employees?

Department of Defense

Largest Cabinet department by budget?

Treasury Department

independent executive agencies

Agencies outside Cabinet departments that report directly to the president

independent regulatory agencies

Agencies with narrow focus designed to operate independently of political pressure

government corporations

Agencies that provide services typically handled by private businesses

Examples of government corporations

Amtrak and the U.S. Postal Service

Who is the principal?

The authority-giver (Congress or the president)

Who is the agent?

The bureaucrat who carries out instructions

What is the main challenge of the principal–agent problem?

Principals cannot constantly monitor agents

red tape

Excessive rules, paperwork, and procedures

Why does red tape exist

To help principals monitor agents and help agents show accountability

iron triangle

A stable alliance among a congressional committee, a bureaucratic agency, and an interest group

issue network

A loose, informal web of relationships among many policy actors unite to influence policy issues

What is police patrol oversight?

Congress works hard directly monitors whether agencies are implementing laws faithfully and efficiently, so bureaucrats will stay in line bc they are being watched; hearings, investigations, and reports

fire alarm oversight

Indirect oversight that relies on citizens and interest groups to alert Congress

Which type of oversight is used more often

Fire alarm oversight

 limitation riders

Amendments, attached to appropriations bills, that forbid an agency to spend any of the money appropriated on activities specified by Congress

role of inspectors general

To audit agencies and investigate wrongdoing independently

What does the Government Accountability Office (GAO) do?

Audits federal programs and reports to Congress

How does the president control the bureaucracy?

Appointmenting agency heads, firing power, budget control, and supervision through the OMB

What role does Senate confirmation play?

"advice and consent" on presidential nominations, a constitutional power under Article II, Section 2, to vet and confirm cabinet members, federal judges, and key executive officials. This process involves background checks, committee questionnaires, public hearings, and a final majority vote to ensure qualification and provide a check against executive power.

Where are new administrative rules published?

The Federal Register

Why is bureaucratic reform difficult

Efficiency reforms are risky and politics limit change

According to the guide, what is the real problem with bureaucracy?

Politics, not bureaucracy itself.

What is DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency)?

A reform agency created by executive order in January 2025. Scheduled to terminate July 4th 2026,