Poli 100 midterm 2

presidency, congress, judiciary, bureaucracy

what is federal bureaucracy?

a part of the executive branch made up of civil service and military personnel who aren’t elected or usually appointed who implement policies decided upon by Congress and the president

what federal agencies in the executive are part of the bureaucracy?

within a cabinet department, independent agency, or government corporation

what bureaucracy is part of the executive branch and within a cabinet department

state department, treasury, agriculture department

what agency in the executive that is independent is part of the bureaucracy?

EPA, federal reserve

What government corporation agencies are part of the executive?

Amtrak, USPS, Fannie/Freddie

what does the bureaucracy do to solve collective dilemmas?

implements the government’s solutions, such as creating public goods, solving coordination problems, and solving prisoner’s dilemmas

what is an example of a public good that the bureaucracy implements?

FDA

what is an example of a solution to coordination problems that the bureaucracy implements?

FAA

what is an example of something the bureaucracy implements to solve prisoners’ dilemmas?

FTC; Drugs v supplements; “all natural”

what are the spikes in size of the bureaucracy correlated with?

reform and new programs

what are some of the programs that are correlated with the spike in size of the bureaucracy?

early 1900s and the economy/military; 1930s and the New Deal’ 1960s/70s and the Great Society; the role of war

what system in the executive bureaucracy called for reform?

the spoils system

what did the Pendleton Act of 1883 state

most bureaucrats are civil servants and politically protected - “technocrats”

what are elected officials in the principal agent problem?

principals

what are bureaucrats in the principal agent problem?

agents

what is one primary principal- agent problem in bureaucracies with agents?

they tend to drift from their defined missions

what is another primary principal-agent problem in bureaucracy having to do with conflicting stances?

opposition motivations of bureaucrats and elected officials

bureaucratic drift

when the agents depart from the mandates given to them by the principals (congress)

coalition drift

occurs when principals change their policy preferences

what happens to agents when coalition drift happens?

they adjust, but often not immediately

what happens with agencies in bureaucratic capture?

they can also be influenced by organizations/corporations