Chapter 15 Notes Flashcards
What is a bureaucracy?
an administrative system in which agencies staffed largely by nonelected officials perform specific tasks in accordance with standard procedures
What is the popular image of a bureaucrat?
a civil servant dedicated to the details of administrative procedure
What is civil service?
the civilian employees who carry out the administrative tasks of government
Who initiated the spoils system when he gave government posts as a reward for campaign support?
Andrew Jackson
Who’s assassination started the civil service creation?
President Garfield
What did reform come in the form of?
the Pendleton Act of 1883
The new standard for hiring and promotion of civil employees was the quality of one’s work
merit
The Pendleton Act of 1883 established what?
the Civil Service Commission
The Pendleton Act of 1883 abolished what?
abolished the old patronage or spoils system.
What is the predecessor/precursor of the Office of Personnel Management?
The Civil Service Commission
When did the federal government begin to regulate the economy?
1887
What was the first regulatory agency?
Interstate Commerce Commission
What two factors led to the development of our present-day bureaucracy?
the New Deal and World War II
Who provided funds directly to the needy?
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)
Who sets the pay and other job conditions for federal workers?
Congress
Federal employees were first limited in their political activities by what law and allowed federal workers to vote in elections, but they could not take part in partisan political activities
Hatch Act of 1939
List the levels of the bureaucracy beneath the president
- Executive Office of the President
- Cabinet
- Independent agencies
What is the president’s front-line staff?
White House Office
Who advises the president on issues of politics, policy, and management; selects key people on the White House staff; controls and manages people, information, and paperwork into the Oval Office; and is expected to be a regular presence on the Sunday morning television talk shows?
chief of staff
Who is the backbone of the White House staff and administers staff salaries; allots staff positions, mess privileges, parking places, and passes; manages the White House and Executive Office budgets; is a liaison with and works in association with the Secret Service; and manages the White House computer systems?
The Office of Management and Administration
Over six thousand appointed positions must be filled, how many and what percentage of these are Senate-confirmed?
1200=20%
What is the counsel for the president described as and what does it do?
described as the “presidency’s lawyer”
monitors ethics matters
Who serves the president, the White House staff, and reporters?
The Press Office
Who channels information, represents constituents, and aids in administration and communication planning?
The press secretary
Who is the official spokesperson for an administration?
The press secretary
Who has offices in the West Wing and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next door to the West Wing?
The Press Office
Who is the president’s policymaking group over security and intelligence matters?
The National Security Council (NSC)
The Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives was created by who in January 2001?
President George W. Bush
What is a mere creation of the President’s will?
The Cabinet
Four original cabinet departments
- State Department: responsible for issuing U.S. citizens’ passports
- The Treasury
- Department of War: now known as the Defense Department
- the Justice Department: was titled the Attorney General’s Office until 1872.
Most Defense personnel work in the Pentagon, and Defense agencies include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the army, the navy, the air force, the marines, and the Inspector General.
T
What department does not have the largest budget?
Defense
Some of the USDA functions are inspecting food, managing school lunch and food stamp programs, helping farmers and ranchers, managing national forests, and helping promote U.S. agricultural products overseas.
T
Food stamps
True
Many thought the department would have too much control over local schools, so it was demoted to the Office of Education in 1868. From 1953 to 1979 the agency was part of Health, Education, and Welfare.
T
The Department of Homeland Security was created when?
after September 11, 2001
What was the last cabinet position level created?
The Department of Homeland Security
What was originally a part of the Executive Office of the President, but it was elevated to cabinet status in 2002?
Homeland Security
Few of the agencies and organizations that became part of the Department of Homeland Security include what?
Immigration and Naturalization (the service and benefit functions)
Why are these agencies independent?
only because they are not located within the fifteen cabinet departments
Why did Congress establish government corporations?
to carry out certain business-like activities
How many corporations are there today?
More than 50
Examples are the United States Postal Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority
What agency was created to generate, sells, and distributes electric power?
Tennessee Valley Authority
What are four major causes that the bureaucracy is referenced as the “fourth branch” of the government?
separation of powers
size
skills
desire for security.
The bureaucracy often increases its independence by doing what?
taking advantage of the separation of powers of the three major branches of government
What has made the bureaucracy the largest segment of the national government, with millions of civilian employees in the executive branch alone?
The growth in the number and size of federal agencies
The skills that many agency officials provide also strengthen the independence of the bureaucracy. Expertise in a variety of technical fields such as pollution control, aircraft design, laser weaponry, and census statistics means that bureaucrats are sought out for their advice on legislative matters.
T
The independence of the federal bureaucracy is further illustrated by the intense struggle for security that agencies exercise over their internal affairs.
T
What is oversight?
the process of examining a department’s compliance with the law and scrutinizing its budget requests
What act closed-door meetings by requiring federal agencies to hold well-announced public hearings?
The Sunshine Act
Another problem with the bureaucratic system is the use of “gobbledygook.” What is it?
vague, sprawling language to describe something simple
What is bureaucratese?
(doublespeak) it is the language of bureaucratic regulations, documents, and forms.
What is the Hatch Act?
limited political activities of government employees
US postal service is an example of what kind of agency?
Government corporation
What was established by Reagan to investigate wasteful spending?
Grace commission
Pendleton abolished the spoils system
True
Under the spoils system, the president rewarded the jobs of those who helped gain power.
true
Cabinet appointments must be approved by the president
false
Approx 20% must be approved by senate
True
Most offense department work at the pentagon
true
The department of agriculture - food step program.
true
The department of defense
false
Department of education was one time linked to health and welfare
true
Immigration and naturalization now part of the Justice service
false
All independent agencies are accountable to congress
false
ESSAY
Identify the three types of independent agencies and give an example of each.
Independent executive agencies: NASA
Government corporation: Bank of America
Regulatory commissions: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
ESSAY
Explain how the federal bureaucracy can be all the quasi-legislative, quasi-executive, and quasi-judicial. P. 347.
Legislative: recommends bill to Congress and the President and draws up specific regulations to implement congressional statutes
Executives: administers the responsibilities of the executive branch
Judicial: provides due process for individuals or groups involved with disputes with an agency
ESSAY
What characteristic cause many to refer to the federal bureaucracy as the fourth branch of the government? P. 349-50
It contains separation of powers, size, skills, and desire for security. The federal bureaucracy increases its independence by taking advantage of the separation of powers of the three major branches of government. Its capacity for independence is certainly great given its size, its role in implementing law, and the complexity of its responsibilities.
