ap gov chapter 15: bureaucracy

bureaucracy

according to max weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality; bureaucracies govern modern states

patronage

one of the key inducements used by political machines; a patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone

pendleton civil service act

passed in 1883, an act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage

civil service

a system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service

merit principle

the idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administrators with talent and skill

hatch act

a federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics

office of personnel management and budget (OPM)

the office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process

GS (general schedule) rating

a schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS 18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience

senior executive service

an elite cadre of about 9,000 federal government managers, established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, who are mostly career officials but include some political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation

independent regulatory commission

a government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest; it also judges disputes over these rules

government corporations

a government organization, like business corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for it services; the USPS is an example

independent executive agencies

the government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations; its administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president’s pleasure; NASA is an example

policy implementation

the process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending

standard operating procedures (SOPs)

used by bureaucrats to bring uniformity to complex organizations; uniformity improves fairness and makes personnel interchangeable

administrative discretion

the authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem; discretion is greatest when standard operating procedures do not fit a case

street-level bureaucrats

a phrase coined by Michael Lipsky, referring to the bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion

regulation

the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector; regulations pervade the daily lives of people and institutions

command-and-control policy

according to charles schultze, the existing system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, be punishes offenders

incentive system

according to Charles Schultze, a more effective and efficient policy than command-and-control; in the system, market-like strategies are used to manage public policy

deregulation

the lifting of restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer

executive orders

regulations originating from the executive branch; one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy

iron triangles

a mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees; dominate some areas of domestic policy making