Bureaucracy 1 Flashcards
What is the purpose of a bureaucracy?
Bureaucracy implements policy decisions from Congress, the President or Supreme Court.
What is it?
Bureaucracy is a large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization.
What is the largest bureaucratic organization in the United States?
The Federal Government
Examples of daily government activities?
- Mail delivery
- Business regulation
- Tax collection
- Foreign Policy regulation
- Social Security administration
Who is in charge of most of the bureaucracy?
The president
What are the principles of bureaucracy?
- Hierarchy
- Job specialization
- Formalized rules
- Merit principle
- Impersonal = impartial
What does hierarchy mean in bureaucracy?
A few officials and units at the top have authority over officials and units in the larger middle.
Who do the mid level bureaucrats direct the activities of?
The larger lower level workers
What does job specialization mean in bureaucracy?
A precise division of labor in the organization.
What does formalized rules mean in bureaucracy?
Working according to an established set of regulations and procedures.
What does the merit principle mean in bureaucracy?
Has to do with what is called the Civil Service System
What principles are demonstrated by the Civil Service System?
They are non-partisan & “merit-based”
What does the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 state?
Government jobs will be awarded based on merit (previous job performance).
What does the Hatch Act state?
Government employees can not be involved in political organizations that are against the US Constitution.
What does taking politics out of employment make it difficult to do?
Fire people
