ap gov bureaucracy vocab

bureaucracy

- hierarchical power structure

- federal agencies

- authority structure of the executive branch

patronage

- granting favors, giving contracts, or making appointments to an office in return for political support

- this is how most bureaucrats got their jobs in the first 100 years of the republic

- bureaucrats show political support for the person who appointed them

pendleton civil service act

- ended patronage

created civil service

civil service

- merit-based hiring

merit principle

- hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings

- made sure people in the administration were skilled and qualified

hatch act

- created guidelines and restrictions for federal employees regarding campaigning, protesting, and public political support

- goal was to prohibit employees from being active participants in politics

government corporations

- businesses established by congress

- provide services that could be handled by private companies (ex. FedEx)

independent executive agency

a federal agency that is separate from regulatory agencies, government corporations, and the cabinet department

- still reports directly to the president

- ex. NASA

policy implementation

- the stage of policymaking between the establishment and the consequences/outcomes of a policy

- creation, translation, and coordination

- #1 establishment = creation of the law.

- #2 Implementation = policy is put into practice, being regulated and enforced.

#3 consequences = the effects and impacts of the law

standard operating procedures

procedures and rules to bring uniformity, consistency, and efficiency to complex organizations.

administrative discretion

power given by Congress to the federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws

regulation

- the use of governmental authority to enforce laws/rules

deregulation

- lifting of restrictions

iron triangles

a mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees

executive orders

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

issue networks

groups of people that work to influence policymaking on a certain issue

plum book

- the president has the authority to make a number of appointments during his tenure

red tape

rules and lengthy procedures that get in the way of getting stuff done