AP GOV CH 7 VOCAB

Federal Bureaucracy

Departments + agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation

Bureaucrats

Official employed within a government bureaucracy

Political Patronage

Filling of administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than merit

Pendleton Act

Act of Congress that created the 1st U.S. Civil service commission to draw up + enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service (also known as Civil Service Reform Act of 1883)

Federal Civil Service

Merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces + political appointments.

Merit System

System of hiring + promotion based on competitive testing results, education, + other qualifications rather than politics + personal connections.

Iron Triangle

Coordinated + mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, + interest groups to achieve shared policy goas

Issue Network

Webs of influence between interest groups, policy makers, policy advocates

Implementation

Bureaucracy's role in putting into action laws congress has passed

Bureaucratic Discretion

Power to decide how a law is implemented + to decide what Congress meant when it passed the law

Regulation

Federal bureaucracy makes rules, that have the force of law, to carry out the laws paused by Congress

Bureaucratic Adjudication

Federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program