Chapter 14

Bureaucracy

A hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality.

Civil service

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

Administrative discretion

The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem.

Iron triangles

Consist of interest groups, government agencies, and congressional committees that have a mutually dependent, mutually advantageous relationship.

Legislative oversight

Congress's monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of policy.

Merit system/principle

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

"Red tape"

Bureaucratic procedures, regulations, and paperwork that can slow down or impede the efficient functioning of government.

Independent executive agencies

Government agencies not accounted for by cabinet departments, with administrators appointed by the president.

Independent regulatory agencies/Commission

Government agencies responsible for making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest in some sector of the economy.

Government corporations

Government organizations that provide services that could be delivered by the private sector and typically charge for their services.

Pendleton Act

An act that created a federal civil service based on merit rather than patronage.

Hatch Act

A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics while on duty.

Spoils System

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.

Patronage

Jobs, promotions, or contracts given for political reasons rather than merit or competence alone.

Incentive System

Market-like strategies such as rewards used to manage public policy.

Policy Implementation

The stage of policy making between the establishment of a policy and its consequences for the people affected.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Procedures for everyday decision making that bring efficiency and uniformity to complex organizations.

Regulation

The use of governmental authority to control or change practices in the private sector.

Deregulation

The lifting of government restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities.

Command and Control policy/regulation

The typical system of regulation where the government tells businesses how to reach certain goals, checks compliance, and punishes offenders.

Discretionary power

An agency's ability to decide whether or not to take certain courses of action when implementing existing laws.

Rule-making authority

An agency's ability to make rules that affect how programs operate and force compliance.

Department of Homeland Security

Responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the United States from terrorist attacks and other disasters.

Department of Transportation

Regulates policy development and planning for all forms of transportation.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Administers laws that provide benefits for former members of the armed services and their dependents.

Department of Education

Promotes student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

Environmental Protection Agency

The largest federal independent regulatory agency, administering U.S. environmental protection policy.

Federal Elections Commission

A bipartisan agency that administers and enforces campaign finance laws.

Securities and Exchange Commission

Oversees the operations of stock markets and trades securities.

Oversight

The function through which legislators determine whether current laws and appropriations are achieving intended results.

Power of the Purse

The constitutional power of Congress to raise and spend money.

Compliance Monitoring

Activities undertaken by bureaus to establish whether corporations conform to relevant external requirements.