Abernathy/Waples, American Government: Stories of a Nation, Presidential Election Update 1E - Chapter 7

federal bureaucracy

the departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation.

bureaucrat

an official employed within a government bureaucracy.

political patronage

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

Pendleton Act

an act of Congress that created the first United States Civil Service Commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service. Also known as Civil Service Reform Act of 1883.

federal civil service

the merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces and political appointments.

merit system

a system of hiring and promotion based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualifications rather than politics and personal connections.

iron triangle

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

issue network

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

implementation

the bureaucracy's role in putting into action the laws that Congress has passed.

bureaucratic discretion

the power to decide how a law is implemented and, at times, what Congress actually meant when it passed a given law.

regulation

the process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out the laws passed by Congress.

bureaucratic adjudication

when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program.