APGovCh.8.Gerardo.Michel

Question 1

Federal Bureaucracy

Answer 1

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

Sentence: A federal bureaucracy is a system designed to manage the federal functions of the country.

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.

Sentence: Max Weber defined a bureaucracy as any system of administration conducted by trained professionals.

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.

Sentence: A spoils system would reward loyalists for supporting the now newly elected party.

Question 4

Patronage

Answer 4

Jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends and political allies for their support.

Sentence: An example of a patronage is a spoils system; rewarding loyalists for their support.

Question 5

Merit System

Answer 5

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

Sentence: A merit system focuses on the capabilities of an individual rather than their perspective.

Question 6

Pendleton Act

Answer 6

Reform measure that established the principle of federal employment on the basis of open, competitive exams and created the Civil Service Commission.

Sentence: The act helped enforce the principles of a merit system; to seek qualifications from individuals rather than party support.

Question 7

Civil Service System

Answer 7

The merit system by which many federal bureaucrats are selected.

Sentence: The civil service system’s positions were covered by the Pendleton Act by more than 90 percent.

Question 8

Sixteenth Amendment

Answer 8

Amendment to the US Constitution that authorized Congress to enact a national income tax.

Sentence: The Sixteenth Amendment allowed for the government to carry out new federal agencies and programs.

Question 9

World War I

Answer 9

A global military conflict that took place from 1914-1918 across Europe and its overseas territories. US intervened from 1917-1918.

Sentence: World War I directly caused an increase in manufacturing, which helped inflate the economy at the time.

Question 10

Great Depression

Answer 10

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

Sentence: The Great Depression led to the creation of new government agencies to regulate business practices and some aspects of the economy.

Question 11

World War II

Answer 11

A global military conflict that took place from 1939-1945 in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region. US became formally involved from 1941-1945.

Sentence: World War II directly impacted the economy, as factories operated around the clock to produce the necessary equipment for the army.

Question 12

G.I. (Government Issue) Bill

Answer 12

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

Sentence: The G.I. Bill was enacted by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Question 13

Great Society

Answer 13

Reform program begun in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson that was a broad attempt to combat poverty and discrimination through urban renewal, education reform, and unemployment relief.

Sentence: The Great Society helped produce additional growth to the bureaucracy.

Question 14

Department of Homeland Security

Answer 14

Cabinet department created after the 9/11 attacks to coordinate domestic security efforts.

Sentence: The Department of Homeland Security is the largest department hand has more than one agency involved in it.

Question 15

Cabinet departments

Answer 15

Major administrative units with responsibility for a broad area of government operations. Departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular government function, such as defense, commerce, or agriculture.

Sentence: Cabinet departments account for about 60 percent of the federal workforce.

Question 16

Independent Executive Agencies

Answer 16

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

Sentence: An example of an independent executive agency is NASA.

Question 17

Independent Regulatory Commission

Answer 17

An entity created by Congress outside a major executive department that regulates a specified interest or economic activity.

Sentence: An example of an independent regulatory commission is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Question 18

Government Corporations

Answer 18

Businesses established by Congress to perform functions that private businesses could provide, such as the US Postal Service and Amtrak. Often established when the financial incentives for private industry to provide services are minimal.

Sentence: A government corporation charges fees for their services, unlike other governmental agencies.

Question 19

Hatch Act

Answer 19

The 1939 act to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate.

Sentence: The Hatch Act was too extreme at first, so it was eventually liberalized to allow employees to run for public office in nonpartisan elections.

Question 20

Implementation

Answer 20

The process by which a law or policy is put into operation.

Sentence: Implementation can be used to carry out and solidify a new law or policy.

Question 21

Iron Triangles

Answer 21

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

Sentence: Today, iron triangles no longer dominate most policy processes, with the exception of relationships such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the House Committee on Veteran Affairs.

Question 22

Issue Networks

Answer 22

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

Sentence: An issue network can include the same criteria as an iron triangle, but they also include lawyers, consultants, academics, and more.

Question 23

Interagency Councils

Answer 23

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

Sentence: An example of an interagency council was when one was formed to address the economic crisis resulting from the 9/11 attacks.

Question 24

Policy Coordinating Committees (PCCs)

Answer 24

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

Sentence: An example of a policy coordinating committee (PCC) is the Homeland Security Council PCC, which is composed of representatives from other departments such as the FBI and CIA.

Question 25

Administrative Discretion

Answer 25

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

Sentence: Administrative discretion is exercised through two formal procedures, which are rule making and administrating adjudication.

Question 26

Rule Making

Answer 26

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

Sentence: Rule making is, according to some political scientists, “the single most important function performed by agencies of government”.

Question 27

Regulations

Answer 27

Rules governing the operation of all government programs that have the force of law.

Sentence: Regulations have to endeavor a process of reviewing and evaluation before being published in the Federal Register.

Question 28

Federal Register

Answer 28

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

Sentence: The Federal Register is especially useful for informing citizens and organizations of new changes and rules.

Question 29

Administrative Adjudication

Answer 29

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

Sentence: Administrative adjudication can be used to force compliance onto persons or businesses that aren’t in compliance with the federal laws of an agency.