Federal bureaucracy- the departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation

Bureaucrat – an official employed within the government bureaucracy

Political patronage – filling of administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on 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 to decide what Congress meant when it passed a 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