chapter 7 ap gov

bureaucrat

an official employee employed within a government agency

political patronage

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

pendleton act

a federal law that replaced the political spoils system (patronage) with a merit-based civil service system for federal employment

federal civil service

the permanent, non-elected body of civilllian government employees who are hired based on a merit system(qualifications, exams) rather than political loyalty

merit system

hiring and firing federal civil service employees based on their qualifications and exams preformance rather than political connections of party loyalty

iron triangle

a close, long-lasting alliance among three specific groups that work together to shape public policy in a particular area: interest groups, bureaucracy, congress

issue network

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

implementation

process by which the federal bureaucracy puts laws, executive orders, and court decisions into action

bureaucratic discretion

the power given by congress to federal agencies to make independent choices about how to implement, interpret, and enforce laws

regulation

an official rule or directive issued by a government agency to implement and enforce a broader law passed by a legislative body

ex: congress passes the clean air act, a broad statue stating that the federal government must reduce air pollution, congress does not have time to figure out exact carbon limits for evert factory, instead they delegate the power to the environmental protection agency.

bureaucratic adjudication

process where a federal agency settles disputes or enforces rules like a court

ex: Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• If a company runs a deceptive or false advertising campaign, the FTC can bring an internal administrative complaint and adjudicate whether the ads violate federal consumer protection laws