Chapter 15: Bureaucracy Flashcards
bureaucracy
administrative group of non elected officials charged with carrying out functions connected to a series of policies and programs
bureaucrats/civil servants
individuals who work in bureaucracy who are hired or sometimes appointed
political patronage
the use of state resources to reward individuals for their political support. Became increasingly apparent in the 1820s under president Andrew Jackson and source of controversy under Grant’s presidency in the 1870’s.
Pendleton Act aka Civil Service Reform Act of 1883
Inspired by the attempted assassination of President Garfield, this created the civil service commission that made sure the bureaucracy would hire with competitive and open examinations under a merit system.
Growth of bureaucracy
FDR initiated many national programs to stifle The Great Depression. He created the FDIC, The National Labor Relations Board, SEC and etc. LBJ did similarly by passing the Great Society program with the economic opportunity act which created many youth corps. He also created medicare. Reagan rolled back some national programs but expanded some with his involvement in The Cold War.
Achievements of the Pendleton Act
Reduced the impact of politics on the civil sector service by making it illegal to fire or hire someone on strictly political grounds. Requires applicants to pass an exam testing their competence in the field. It created the Civil Service Commission which enforced these laws.
Features of the Civil Service Commission
Consists of three commissioners, only two of which could be of the same party. They make sure the examinations are fair and relevant as well as making sure that each state has their share of civil service appointess based on population. They also make sure that each position isnt forced to further a political cause or create undue political influence with their position.
Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
Amidst Watergate and Vietnam War scandal, this abolished the Civil Service Commission and in its place created The Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Also puts in a clause that whistleblowers are protected if they report misconduct within their bureaucracy
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
The OPM has responsibility for recruiting, interviewing, and testing potential government employees in order to choose those who should be hired
Merit Systems Protection Board
The MSPB is responsible for investigating charges of agency wrongdoing and hearing appeals when corrective actions are ordered
What is KSA
Meaning Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities that the government merit system screen for.
Weberian model of bureauracy
Model of an ideal bureaucracy as asserted by Max Weber saying that increased demands of growing populations make it a necessity that bureaucracies must have set hierarchies and strict regulation and procedures. Only high level bureaucrats have the freedom of being flexible, everyone else has little to no discretion.
acquisitive model
This model of bureaucracy proposes that bureaucracies are naturally competitive and power hungry because they compete for limited resources. Bureaucratic leadership seek to enhance their department’s status by incessantly spending and pushing for bigger budgets and creating government waste.
monopolistic model
Since their is no competition against private firms, bureaucracies in this model act in similar ways to a monopoly in their respective functions. These bureaucracies thus act in inefficient ways because there’s no greater incentive for them to improve. They are criticized for creating waste, red tape, and etc. Exception to these are NSA, CIA, and DoD because they compete against each other for presidential favor.
How many federal departments are their in the president’s cabinet?
15
Government Corporations
Agencies formed by the federal government to administer a quasi-business enterprise. They perform governmental functions that the government has an interest in maintaining but are also exposed to market forces such as the United States post office or Amtrak. Important to note is that they do not have stockholders or board of executives.
Independent Executive Agencies and Regulatory Agencies
Independent Executive Agencies are similar to cabinet departments because they report to the president, Independent agencies have far more specific tasks than cabinet departments and have no regulatory agencies watching over. Some examples are CIA and NASA. Regulatory Agencies are supposed to be nonpartisan and are meant to be watchdogs enforcing government regulations such as the Interstate Commerce Commission and the SEC.
red tape
set rules and regulations that bureaucrats must follow. Has a negative connotation because it has become synonymous with inefficiency.
negotiated rulemaking
When authorizing a new program, the gray areas are straightened out by the bureaucracy because Congress doesn’t have the resources to go over 100% of the details. A committee within the bureaucracy is created consisting of neutral advisors called “convenors” who try to reach a general consensus of rules.
Government Accountability Office
Agency that provides Congress and executive department heads with auditing, evaluation, and investigative services.
Office of Management and Budget
Executive Office charged with the responsibility of the president’s annual budget and giving reports on federal departments and programs
Freedom of Information Act (1966)
gives journalists and the general public the right to request records from various federal agencies as long as it passes through certain exemptions like sensitive information, personnel privacy, foreign policy plans, trade secrets, and etc.
Sunshine Act (1976)
This bill states that multi-headed federal agencies must make their meetings available to the public as long as they don’t meet certain criteria such as discussing classified information, talking about private personnel information, discussing information about companies that can change public perceptions and etc. The bill comes from the expression. “Sunshine is the best disinfectant” meaning its meant to reduce government secrecy and corruption when things are out in the open/
What are the three types of privatization?
- Divestiture or full privatization 2. Contracting 3. Third Party Financing
