OpenStax American Govt Ch 15

During George Washington's administration, there were ________ cabinet positions.

four

The "spoils system" allocated political appointments on the basis of ________.

party loyalty

Two recent periods of large-scale bureaucratic expansion were ________.

the 1930s and the 1960s

Briefly explain the underlying reason for the emergence of the spoils system.

govt employment in which workers are hired on party loyalty.

The Civil Service Commission was created by
the ________.

Pendleton Act of 1883

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created
the Office of Personnel Management and the
________.

Merit Systems Protection Board

Briefly explain the benefits and drawbacks of a merit system.

benefits: helps to ensure the most qualified gets position.

drawbacks: bureaucracy is less responsive to the will of the elected leaders than under patronage

Which describes the ideal bureaucracy according to Max Weber?

An apolitical, hierarchically, organized agency

Which of the following models of bureaucracy
best accounts for the way bureaucracies tend to
push Congress for more funding each year?

the acquisitive model

(as resources dwindle, certain government agencies fight others to survive and advance their agendas)

An example of a government corporation is
________.

Amtrak

Briefly explain why government might create a government corporation.

To perform services that respond to market forces but are too important to the public to be allowed to fall

The Freedom of Information Act of 1966 helps citizens exercise oversight over the bureaucracy by
________.

opening government records to citizen
scrutiny

When reformers speak of bureaucratic privatization, they mean all the following processes except ________.

whistleblowing

Briefly explain the advantages of negotiated rulemaking.

neutral advisors known as convenors put together a committee of those who have vested interests in the proposed rules. The convenors then set about devising procedures for reaching a consensus on the proposed rules. The committee uses these procedures to govern the process through which the committee members discuss the various merits and demerits of the proposals. With the help of neutral mediators, the committee eventually reaches a general consensus on the rules.