ch 13 Textbook Q's- Bureaucracy

Standard operating procedures, which some view as another form of "red tape," are important to any bureaucratic structure. Why?

They create a uniform set of practices to guarantee the reliable continuation of services regardless of which person or party holds office.

Standard operating procedures and other restrictions some deride as "red tape" are in place to protect the public interest by making sure federal agencies and employees follow the same processes, standards, and guidelines regardless of the groups or individuals they are serving.

What is the function of a bureaucracy?

To develop regulations and policies to implement and enforce congressional actions and presidential directives

The bureaucracy is designed to create the structures and procedures through which the legislation and policy directives of Congress and the president are carried out.

What was a key development in the bureaucracy during the Progressive Era?

The government began to have a direct impact on everyday life.

The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, and the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 had a direct impact on people's lives. No longer were mail delivery and border defense the only functions of bureaucracy.

Which of the following best characterizes the reasons for the growth of the bureaucracy?

The bureaucracy has grown to meet the demands of the public for services and protections the public could not provide for itself.

The federal bureaucracy grew incredibly fast from the 1930s through the 1960s as the public demanded more interventions by the government to protect the economy, improve infrastructure, and protect civil rights of political minorities.

What role has the American public played in making it nearly impossible for presidents and members of Congress to cut the federal budgets and the size of the bureaucracy?

The public does not want a reduction in services that would correspond with cutting spending.

Surveys consistently show that while Americans say they support spending cuts and tax cuts, there is no agreement on what programs should be cut because members of the public have no desire to cut programs that benefit them or people like them.

What counterargument can you make when a person promotes the idea that members of the federal bureaucracy are just interested in growing their numbers of employees and maximizing the amount of money available to spend each year?

The size of the federal bureaucracy is significantly smaller than it was a generation ago and remains about the size that it was during the civil rights era.

The number of individuals who work in the federal bureaucratic agencies fell from a peak of about 3.2 million people in 1991 to a present size of about 2.8 million today, about the same number of employees that existed in 1968, while the U.S. population has grown by more than 60 percent since then.

For any president, high-level executive appointees within the departments, agencies, and bureaus of the federal bureaucracy serve what significant purpose?

Monitoring and intervening in ways that ensure the president's agenda is being carried out through the structures of the government

Political appointees who largely fill the top ranks of the federal government are placed by presidents, with the approval of the Senate, to act as the eyes, ears, and hands of the president in making sure the bureaucracy is fulfilling the priorities of the administration.

What factual evidence exists that would disprove a belief that the bureaucracy is composed of unqualified individuals who draw government salaries while acting to implement their own political ideologies rather than acting in the public interest?

Qualifications for positions, hiring practices, and regulation of political behavior are all set in law.

The Civil Service Act, the Hatch Act, the Federal Employees Political Activities Act, and the standard operating procedures establish qualifications for hiring, promotions, and discipline, as well as preventing bureaucrats from engaging in political activities.

Many members of Congress run for office claiming that the federal bureaucracy acts to implement policies contrary to the public interests and in violation of the will of Congress. What is the reality about the relationship between Congress, the president, and the bureaucratic structures?

The bureaucratic structures of government are subject to the oversight of Congress and must implement laws, directives, and policies.

Blaming the employees of the federal government for the challenges Americans face is a convenient political tool for those who have to win elections, but the reality is that the federal bureaucracy is a set of vehicles under the oversight of the president and Congress that carry out the public policy priorities of both.

Which statement best summarizes the challenge of translating laws and public policy directives into effective and efficient implementation by bureaucrats and bureaucratic agencies?

Creating clear, specific, and actionable structures consists of complex tasks to achieve the often-broad goals of legislation passed by Congress.

Because political compromise by members of Congress is often difficult, the language included in legislation aimed at solving problems is often broad and vague, leaving the work of creating complex policies and programs to implement the laws to be interpreted by the professional employees of the federal bureaucracy.