AP Gov Chapter 9 Vocab – Flashcards
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bureaucracy
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A set of complex hierarchical departments, agencies, commissions, and their staffs that exist to help a chief executive officer carry out his or her duties. Bureaucracies may be private organizations or government units.
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spoils system
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The firing of public-office holders of a defeated political party in order to replace them with loyalists of the newly elected party.
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patronage
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Jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends and political allies for their support.
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Pendleton Act
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Reform measure that created the Civil Service Commission to administer a partial merit system. The act classified the federal service by grades, to which appointments were made based on the results of a competitive examination. It made it illegal for federal political appointees to be required to contribute to a particular political party.
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civil service system
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The legal system by which many federal bureaucrats are selected.
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merit system
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The system by which federal civil service jobs are classified into grades or levels, and appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examinations.
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independent regulatory commission
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An agency created by Congress that is generally concerned with a specific aspect of the economy.
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departments
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Major administrative unit with responsibility for a broad are of government operations. Departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular government function, such as defense, commerce, or agriculture.
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government corporations
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Business established by Congress to perform functions that can be provided by private businesses.
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independent executive agencies
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Governmental units that closely resemble a Cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility (such as the Central Intelligence Agency) and are not part of any Cabinet department.
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Hatch Act
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The 1929 act to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributors, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate.
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Federal Employees Political Activities Act
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The 1993 liberalization of the Hatch Act. Federal employees are no allowed to run for office in nonpartisan elections and to contribute money to campaigns in partisan elections.
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implementation
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The process by which a law or policy is put into operation by the bureaucracy.
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iron triangles
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The relatively stable relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees.
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issue network
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The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas.
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interagency councils
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Working groups created to facilitate coordination of policy making and implementation across a host of governmental agencies.
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administrative discretion
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The ability of bureaucrats to make choices of concerning the best way to implement congressional intentions.
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rule making
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A quasi-legislative administrative process that has the characteristics of a legislative act.
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regulations
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Rules that govern the operation of a particular government program that have the force of law.
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administrative adjudication
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A quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties in a manner similar to the way courts resolve disputes.
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executive order
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Rules or regulations issued by the president that have the effect of law. All executive orders must be published in the Federal Register.
