AP Gov Ch. 8 Chris Bauder

Question 1

federal bureaucracy

Answer 1

the thousands of federal government agencies and institutions that implement and administer federal laws and programs

Due to how many agencies their are, the federal bureaucracy is often called the fourth branch of government.

Question 2

Max Weber

Answer 2

german sociologist active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who articulated the hierarchical structure and near mechanical functioning of bureaucracies in complex societies.

Max Weber was the man to define how the bureaucracy was defined by an administration ran by pros.

Question 3

spoils system

Answer 3

the firing of public-office holders of a defeated political party to replace them with loyalists of the newly elected party.

Presidents often hire their unqualified friends to office, causing some to argue they are using the spoils system.

Question 4

merit system

Answer 4

a system of employment based on qualifications, test scores, and ability rather than party loyalty.

Rutherford B. Hayes wanted to replace the spoils system with the merit system.

Question 5

pendleton act

Answer 5

reform measure that established the principle of federal employment on the basis of open, competitive exams and created the civil service commission.

The pendleton act was also termed the civil service reform act of 1883.

Question 6

civil service system

Answer 6

the merit system created by which many federal bureaucrats are selected.

The pendleton act only covered about 10% of positions in the federal civil service system.

Question 7

sixteenth amendment

Answer 7

amendment to the U.S. constitution that authorized congress to enact a national income tax.

The sixteenth amendment was ratified to the constitution in 1913.

Question 8

World War 1

Answer 8

a global military conflict that took place from 1914-1918 across europe and its overseas territories. The U.S. militarily intervened in 1917-1918.

World War 1 was started by the assassination of Archduke franz ferdinand of austria.

Question 9

great depression

Answer 9

a severe global economic downturn marked by mass unemployment and poverty that began in the united states in 1929 and persisted to some degree until the end of the 1930s.

FDR enacted many government programs to help citizens during the great depression.

Question 10

World War 2

Answer 10

a global military conflict that took place from 1939-1945 in europe, asia, africa, and pacific region. The U.S. was formally involved from 1941-1945.

Japan bombing pearl harbor caused the U.S. to join World War 2.

Question 11

GI Bill

Answer 11

federal legislation enacted in 1944 that provided college loans for returning veterans and reduced mortgage rates to enable them to buy homes.

The GI Bill was passed for veterans of the second world war.

Question 12

great society

Answer 12

reform program begun in 1964 by president Lyndon b jonhson that was a broad attempt to combat poverty and discrimination through urban renewal, education reform, and unemployment relief.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s great society program helped to grow the bureaucracy.

Question 13

department of homeland security

Answer 13

cabinet department created after the september 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to coordinate domestic security efforts.

The department of homeland security helps to protect the U.S. from attackers of foreign nations.

Question 14

cabinet departments

Answer 14

major administrative units with responsibility for a broad area of government operations.

There are 15 cabinet departments that are responsible for conducting areas of government.

Question 15

independent executive agencies

Answer 15

government units that closely resemble a cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility and perform services rather than regulatory functions.

Independent executive agencies are very similar to departments of the cabinet, but have more specific responsibilities.

Question 16

independent regulatory commission

Answer 16

an entity created by congress outside a major executive department that regulates a specified interest of economic activity.

The independent regulatory commission was created because neither congress nor the courts have time or talent to regulate economic activity.

Question 17

government corporations

Answer 17

businesses established by congress to perform functions that private businesses could provide, such as the U.S Postal service.

Government corporations first started appearing around 1930.

Question 18

hatch act

Answer 18

the 1939 act to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns.

The hatch act was a way to stop federal employees from working directly for political candidates.

Question 19

implementation

Answer 19

the process by which a law or policy is put into operation

implementation is the way many agencies are able to execute congressional wishes.

Question 20

iron triangles

Answer 20

the relatively ironclad relationships and patterns of interactions that occur among agencies, interest groups,and congressional committees or subcommittees.

Iron triangles was the name given to ironclad relationships by political scientists.

Question 21

issue networks

Answer 21

the loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas.

Issue networks are very similar to iron triangles, but include lawyers, consultants, academics, and more.

Question 22

interagency councils

Answer 22

working groups created to facilitate coordination of policy making and implementation across a host of governmental agencies.

Interagency councils are just one example of a number of alliances created in the bureaucracy.

Question 23

policy coordinating committees

Answer 23

committees created at the sub-cabinet level to facilitate interactions between agencies and departments to handle complex policy problems.

Policy coordinating committees are called upon to areas marked by complex problems.

Question 24

administrative discretion

Answer 24

the ability of bureaucrats to make choices concerning the best way to implement congressional or executive intentions

Bureaucrats often express administrative discretion through rule making and administrative adjudication.

Question 25

rule making

Answer 25

a quasi-legislative process resulting in regulations that have the characteristics of a legislative act

Rule making is the process executive and independent agencies use to create laws.

Question 26

regulations

Answer 26

rules governing the operation of all government programs that have the force of law

Regulations are able to control the way a business operates.

Question 27

federal register

Answer 27

the official journal of the u.s. government, including all federal rules and public notices so that citizens and organization can follow proposed chan
ges and comply
with rule changes

The federal register was first founded in 1935, and since then has grown to over 60,000 pages.

Question 28

administrative adjudication

Answer 28

a quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties similar to the way courts resolve disputes

Often times, agencies find businesses are sometimes not in compliance with federal law, and resort to administrative adjudicatoon to settle the dispute.

Question 29

patronage

Answer 29

jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends and politcal allies for their support

Previously, the spoils system was a form of patronage.