Chapter 12 - The Bureaucracy

Bureaucratic Discretion

The authority of a government agency to use their own judgment when determining the exact meaning of a law as they enforce it

Bureaucracy

the complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that are employed by all large-scale institutions to coordinate effectively the work of their personnel

Government corporation

government agency that performs a service normally provided by the private sector

Merit system

a product of civil service reform, that prioritizes hiring and promotion based on professionalism, specialization, and neutrality

Political Patronage

when bureaucratic jobs are appointed based on the spoils system, not qualifications

Privatization

the transfer of all or part of a program from the public sector to the private sector

Regulatory agency

a department, bureau, or independent agency whose primary mission is to impose limits, restrictions, or other obligations on the conduct of individuals or companies in the private sector

issue network

A network of people in Washington, D.C. made up of interest groups, congressional staffs/committees, universities, think tanks, and the mass media, who unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy

Rule making authority (bureaucratic implementation)

A bureaucratic agency's ability to make rules that affect how programs operate, and to force states and corporations to obey these rules as if they were laws.

Power of the purse

the ability of Congress to check the bureaucracy by appropriating or withholding funds