Chapter 12 Flashcards
bureaucracy
the complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that are employed by all large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel
implementation
the efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and actions
principal-agent problem
a conflict in priorities between an actor and the representative authorized to act on the actor’s behalf
executive departments
the 15 departments in the executive branch headed by Cabinet secretaries and constituting the majority of the federal bureaucracy
independent regulatory commission
a government agency outside the executive department usually headed by commissioners
government corporation
government agency that performs a market-oriented public service and raises revenues to fund its activities
merit system
a product of civil service reform, in which appointees to positions in public bureaucracies must objectively be deemed qualified for those positions
political appointees
The presidentially appointed layer of the bureaucracy on top of the civil service
Senior Executive Service (SES)
the top, presidentially appointed management rank for career civil servants
privatization
the process by which a formerly public service becomes a service provided by a private company but paid for by the government
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
the agency in the Executive Office of the President with control over the federal budget and regulations
oversight
the effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies
“police patrol” oversight
regular or even preemptive congressional hearings on bureaucratic agency operations
“fire alarm” oversight
episodic, as-needed congressional hearings on bureaucratic agency operations, usually prompted by media attention or advocacy group complaints
inspectors general (IGs)
independent audit organizations located in most federal agencies
