AP GOV Ch 14 The Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by undetected state officials rather than by elected representatives

patronage

Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

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.

Merit Principle

The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.

Hatch Act (1939)

Federal statute barring Federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds.

Office of Personal Management

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

Independent Regulatory Agencies

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

Corporation set up and run by the government; provides a service to the public (ex. US Postal Service)

Independent Executive Agencies

A federal agency that is not part of any department; its leader reports directly to the president (NASA is an example)

Policy Implementation

The process of carrying out public policy

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

A set of rules established in a bureaucracy that dictate how workers respond to different situations so that all workers respond in the same way.

Administrative Discretion

Authority given by Congress to the Federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.

Regulation

Efforts by government to alter the free operation of the market to achieve social goals such as protecting workers and the environment.

Command-and-Control Policy

The typical system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, and punishes offenders

Incentive System

An alternative to command-and-control, with market-like strategies such as rewards 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

Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy.

Iron Triangles

the relatively ironclad relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees

Issue networks

A loose grouping of people and organizations (interest groups) who seek to influence policy formation.