Ch. 13 and 14 Flashcards
Bureaucracy is the name given to
A large organization that is hierarchically structured and carries out specific functions
A large organization that is hierarchically structured and carries out specific functions
Bureaucracy
Within a bureaucracy the units are divided according to
Hierarchy
One of the important differences between public (government) bureaucracies and private corporations is that government bureaucracies
Are not organized to make a profit
Organizations that are directly accountable to the president and are responsible for performing government functions, such as printing money and training troops, are known as
Line organizations
The weberian model of bureaucracy characterizes it as having
Hierarchical organizations in which decisions are based on logical reasoning
The acquisitive model of bureaucracy holds that
Top level bureaucrats as seeking to expand the size of their budgets and start t gain greater power
Government agencies with leaders who seek to expand their organization’s budgets and staffs to gain power are known as
Acquisitive agencies
The monopolistic model of bureaucracy states that
Lack of competition in bureaucracies and monopolistic business forms, leads to inefficient and costly operations
Government agencies that are thought to be inefficient because they lack competitors called
Monopolistic agencies
Compared to governmental bureaucracies in other countries, the federal bureaucracy in the U.S.
Enjoys a greater degrees of autonomy that federal or national bureaucracies in other countries
The securities and exchange commission, the EPA, and the nuclear regulatory commission are examples o
Administrative agencies
A federal, state, or local government unit created by legislative bodies to administer and enforce specific laws and to perform a specific function are known as
Administrative agencies
The number of federal government employees has
Remained stable for the last several decades
If all government employees are included, more than —-of all civilian employment is accounted for by government
16%
Today, government spending accounts for about ——of the U.S. gross domestic product
30%
With subsidies for Amtrak exceeding $1 billion/year, a member of congress notes that “every time a passenger boards a train, Uncle Sam writes a check for —– on average”
$138.71
The cabinet departments can be described in management terms as
Line organizations
The first cabinet department to be created
State department
The only cabinet department not headed by a secretary is
Justice department
Independent executive agencies are
Bureaucratic organizations that aren’t located within a department but report directly to the president, who appoints their chief officials
——–were set up because congress felt it was unable to handle the complexities and technicalities required to carry out specific laws in the public interest
Independent regulatory agencies
Labor, agriculture, and interior are all examples of
Departments in the presidents cabinet
The CIA, EPA, and the national aeronautical and space administration are examples of
Independent executive agencies
The federal reserve, securities and exchange commission, and the national labor relations board are all examples of
Independent executive agencies
When the industry that is being regulates gains control over the agency that is supposed to regulate it, this is called
Captured
Amtrak, the U.S. postal service, and the Tennessee valley authority are examples o
Government corporations
The creation of the department of homeland security merged 22 agencies responsible for fighting terrorism into a single department, a process that illustrates
How an administrative agency can gain department status
The spoils system can be viewed as
A system of patronage
The merit system refers to
The selection, retention, and promotion of government employees on the basis of competitive examinations
Pendleton act ( civil service reform act)
Act that established the principle of employment on the basis of merit and created the civil service commission to administer personnel service
Civil service reform act of 1978
Abolished the civil service commission and created 2 new federal agencies in place of it
Hatch act
Prohibited federal employees from actively participating in the political management of campaigns
The “government and sunshine act”
Required all committee directed federal agencies to conduct their business regularly in public session
Freedom of information act
Required federal government agencies, with certain exceptions, to disclose to individuals, on their request, any information about them contained in government files
Sunset legislators requires
Existing programs be reviewed regularly for their effectiveness and be terminated unless specifically extended as a result of their reviews
Privatization
The replacement of government services with services provided by private firms
Supporters of privatization argue that
Some services could be provided more efficiently by the private sector
A “whistle-blower”
Someone who “blows the whistle” on a gross governmental inefficiency or illegal action
The whistle blower protection act
Established office of special council( OSC)–made to investigate complaints brought by government employees who have been demoted, fired, or sanctioned for reporting government fraud or waste
With negotiated rule making, federal agencies have begun encouraging businesses and public interest groups to become directly involved in
Negotiated rule making
Iron triangle
3 way alliance among legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective networks
Issue networks
A group of individual sir organizations that support a particular policy position on a given issue
A major power that congress has over the federal bureaucracy is
The authority to extend or limit appropriations
The investigative power of congress is often
Delegated to the government accountability office
The most common occupation of presidents in the U.S. has been
Lawyers
The constitution states that the minimum age requirement for the presidency is
35 years
Who was the youngest person to be elected president
JFK
To be elected president one must receive
A simply majority of the electoral vote
If the electoral college fails to give any presidential candidate a majority, the election of the president is determined by
The house
A constitutional amendment to clarify the way votes are cast in the electoral college was necessary because
There was no way to tell which votes were for the president or the VP
Which constitutional amendment specifies the separate election of the president and VP by the electoral college
12th amendment
The last war to be fought under a congressional declaration of war was
WWII
The president, in his capacity as head of state, is responsible for
Engaging in activities that are largely symbolic or ceremonial in nature
In most democratic governments, the head of state is
Given to someone other than the chief executive
Going on official state visits to other countries, decorating war heroes and dedicating parks are all examples of the presidents role as
Head of state
As chief executive, the president is constitutionally bound to
Enforce the acts of congress, the judgements of federal courts, and treaties signed by the U.S.
If the president is dissatisfied with the performance of a member of the cabinet, the most drastic step that he is able to take is to
Fire the person
The granting of release from the punishment for a crime is
Pardon
As commander in chief the president is
Head of the military and decides how to use the military
President ——-made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
President Truman
As chief diplomat, the president
Has the responsibility for setting the direction of foreign policy
Before a treaty can become legally binding, the treaty must be
Approved by 2/3 votes in the senate
Executive agreements are
International agreements made by the president , w/o senatorial ratification, with the head of a foreign speech
The role of the president in influencing the making of laws is called
Chief legislator
The state of the union message
An annual message to congress and the American people in which the president proposes a legislative program
If the president uses a veto, he or she
Must return the bill to congress with a veto message
A pocket veto
A special veto exercised by the chief executive after a legislative body has adjourned
Line item veto
The power of the executive to veto individual line or items within a piece of legislation w/o vetoing the entire bill
Veto
The power to forbid legislation
A power crested for the president through laws passed by congress is called
Statutory powers
The U.S. senates power to review and approve treaties and presidential appointments is
Advice and consent
The presidents authority to fill a government office or position in the executive branch and federal judiciary is
Appointment power
A formal postponement of the execution of a sentence imposed by a court of law is
Reprieve
Rewarding faithful party workers with government employment is
Patronage/spoils system/ merit system/ executive leadership system
Presidential approval ratings tend to be
Very high when a new president takes office with a decline in the last 2 years of the second term
“Going public”
When the president is given additional power through the ability to persuade and manipulate public opinion
“Washington community” refers to
Individuals regularly involved with politics in Washington DC
President ——suspended civil liberties and called state militias into national service
President Lincoln
Executive order
Rules or regulations issued by the president that have the same effect as law
Publication of the executive branch that prints executive orders, rules and regulations
Federal register
Executive privilege
The right of the president, or member of his administration, to refuse to provide congress with information
An inherent power exercised by the president during a period of national crisis
Emergency power
According to the constitution, impeachment
Begins in the house which accuses the federal officer involved
In the history of the U.S., no president has ever
Actually been impeached and also convicted–and thus removed from office
The following 2 presidents are the only 2 in American history to have actually been impeached
Andrew Johnson and bill Clinton
Informal advisors to the president
Kitchen cabinet
The cabinet is
An advisory group selected by the president to aid in making decisions
White House office, national security council, and the office of management and budget are all part of
The executive office of the president
The office that works most closely with the president
White House office
Office of management and budget
Advises the president on creating a budget for the country
National security council(NSC)
Link between foreign and domestic affairs
Chief of staff
Manages media affairs and scheduling for the president
According to the 25th amendment, if a president’s ability to discharge his normal functions is in question and he is unable to communicate
The VP may replace the president, nominate a new VP, with the approval of a majority of both houses of congress
If the office of the VP becomes vacant
The president nominates a replacement who must be approved by both chambers of congress
U.S. Senators have a difficult time being elected president because they
Don’t have executive experience
The requirement that the president of the U.S. report to congress within 48 hours of sending troops into hostilities and then obtain approval of congress within 60 days is established by
War powers resolution
A written declaration that a president makes when signing a bill into law, often including statements pointing out sections of the law that the president deems unconstitutional, is known as
Signing statements
