AP Government Chapter 13 – Flashcards
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Bureaucracy
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A form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures.
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Bureaucrat
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A career government employee.
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Department
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Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest rank in the federal hierarchy.
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Independent Regulatory Commission
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A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress. Examples: FCC, FEC, SEC, Federal Reserve.
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Independent Agency
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A government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Examples: CIA, DEA, FBI.
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Government Corporation
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A government agency that operates like a business corporation, created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program. Examples: Amtrak, PBS, USPS.
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Senior Executive Service
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Established by Congress in 1978 as a flexible, mobile corps of senior career executives who work closely with presidential appointees to manage government.
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Civil Service
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Federal employees who work for government through a competitive, not political selection process.
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Spoils System (Patronage)
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A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.
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Merit System
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A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage.
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Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
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An agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations.
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Merit Systems Protection Board
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An independent agency that oversees and protects merit in the federal government personnel system.
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Hatch Act (Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities)
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Legislation barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds. (2 terms)
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Implementation
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The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending.
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Administrative Discretion
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Authority given by Congress to the federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.
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Rule
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A precise statement of how a law is implemented.
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Federal Register
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The official record of what the federal bureaucracy does.
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Uncontrollable Spending
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The portion of the federal budget that is spent on previously enacted programs, such as Social Security, that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut.
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Entitlement Program
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Programs such as unemployment insurance, disaster relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens.
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Oversight
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Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. Can be in response to a crisis of some kind or part of routine review.
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Central Clearance
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Review of all executive branch testimony, reports, and draft legislation by the Office of Management and Budget to ensure each communication to Congress is in accordance with the president's program.
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Faithfully execute all the laws
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What is the one task of the federal government/bureaucracy?
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Federalist #70, Hamilton
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What essay advocated for skilled federal bureaucracy in order to execute the laws and as a true test of good government?
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Nominate, create, approve
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The president has to authority to ___ senior offices of government, Congress has the power to ___ offices, and the Senate has the power to ___ with a majority vote.
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Max Weber; Specialization, centralization, standardization, formal rules, expertise, accountability
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What German sociologist defined where a bureaucracy gets its strength from? What are these 6 characteristics?
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Too many leaders, duplication of jobs, complex jobs, impossible to enforce rules
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What are the 4 weaknesses of bureaucracies?
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Congressional committees, interest groups, federal bureaucratic agencies
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What are the 3 groups that make up the iron triangle, which is a policy-making relationship?
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Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS)
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Which department has the largest personnel? Which department has the largest budget?
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White House office selection, White House clearance, Submission to Senate, Senate review
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What are the 4 steps in becoming a presidential appointee?
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Pendleton Civil Service Act
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What act was passed in 1883, after the assassination of president Garfield, that ended the spoils system, and created the independent civil service commission to ensure federal jobs are earned by merit?
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Appointments, reorganization, budgeting
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What are 3 of the president's controls over federal departments and agencies? (these are 3 examples of presidential oversight)
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Establish agencies, terminating agencies, authorize new programs, budgeting, appropriations, investigations, confirm appointments
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What are 7 examples of Congress's controls over federal administration/Congressional oversight?
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CBO, GAO
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What are 2 agencies that are used to investigate the federal bureau for Congress?
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Freedom of Information Act
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Passed in 1966 that requires the federal bureaucracy to turn over documents to the media upon request.
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Whistle Blowers
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What is the common term for federal employees who leak information to the media and to Congress?
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Prohibit Congress from holding executive positions, President nominate senior offices and Senate confirmation (which comes from the constitution's "advice and consent" function), and President is in charge of what appointees do
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What are 3 of the Framers' key decisions about executing the laws that still shape the federal government today?
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State, Treasury, Defense, Justice
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What are the 4 departments included in the inner circle to the president?
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Umbrella departments and single-purpose departments; Homeland Security and Veteran Affairs
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What 2 models were used in creating the 15 federal departments? List one example for each.
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Janet Yellen
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Who is the current Federal Reserve Board Chair? This person is possibly the most important leader in influencing public confidence about the economy.
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President appoints, appoints based on Party, Senate Confirms, Congress approves budget, Judicial review
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What are some ways that Independent Regulatory Commissions are NOT independent? (5)
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Theory of Public Bureaucracy
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According to this, bureaucratic organizations constantly seek to enhance their power.
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15% in DC, 25% in Defense while 30% in USPS, <10% in Social Security Administration, 50% in war on terror, workers resemble population but Congress doesn't, most jobs are white-collar
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What are 6 ways that the civil service is very different from common public perception?
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Merit system, flexible hiring system, justify candidate selections
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What are 3 procedures to protect the merit principle and meet bureaucratic needs for qualified personnel?
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Can't raise campaign funds, run for public office, intervene with election results, collect money/sell tickets, or solicit funds/discourage political activity
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What are 5 of the revisions from the Hatch Act under Clinton's administration that impose restrictions on federal employees?
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Can't strike, can negotiate personnel policies, represent federal employees, lobby Congress, vote in elections
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What are 5 ways Federal Unions differ from private sector unions?
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Regulations and Spending
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What are the 2 means that agencies implement laws?
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Administrative Procedure Act, "Notice and Comment"
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Passed in 1946 in order to ensure all rules are made visible to the public by requiring all proposed rules to be published in the Federal Register. And what is the period where all parties affected by published laws make their opinions known to the agency?
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Social Security and Medicare
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Largest share of uncontrollable spending:
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Red Tape; enacting set programs, lessen agencies' flexibility, delay appointments, limit bureaucratic discretion
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What is the term for excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules and formalities, especially in public business? And what are 4 ways that Congress has helped to create/expand this?
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OMB; in accordance with president's program, consistent with the president's program, no objection
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What is the president's major tool for routine oversight, and what are the 3 categories in which this tool forwards to Congress?
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Police patrol and fire alarm
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What are Congress' 2 basic types of oversight?
