Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

AP Gov > Chapter Twelve: The Bureaucracy > Flashcards

Chapter Twelve: The Bureaucracy Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Government Basics flashcards AP® U.S. Government flashcards
1
Q

Bureaucracy

A

a large, complex organization of appointed, not elected, officials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Max Weber

A

one of the first people in modern times to think seriously about the importance of bureaucracy - well organized, complex machine that is a “rational” way for a modern society to organize its business

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Hierarchical authority structure

A

a chain of command that is hierarchical - the top bureaucrat has ultimate control, and authority flows from the top down

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Task specialization

A

a clear division of labor in which every individual has a specialized job

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Extensive rules

A

clearly written, extensive rules that all people in the organization follow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Clear goals

A

a clearly defined set of goals that all people in the organization strive toward

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

The merit principle

A

merit-based hiring and promotion, no granting of jobs to friends or family unless they are the best qualified (contrasts spoils system)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Impersonality

A

job performance that is judged by productivity, or how much work the individual gets done

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Weber’s characteristics of a bureaucracy

A

Hierarchical authority structure, task specialization, extensive rules, clear goals, the merit principle, and impersonality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Divided supervision

A

Congress has the power to create, organize, and disband all federal agencies - this makes the Bureaucracy’s 2 masters: the Pres and Congress - encourages bureaucrats to play one branch against the other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Close public scrutiny

A

emphasis of individual rights and their defense against governmental abuse makes court challenges to agency actions more likely

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Regulation rather than public ownership

A

US government agencies regulate privately owned enterprises, rather than operate publicly owned ones - regulation rather than ownership

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Federal civilian employee demographics

A
  • 57% male
  • 73% are white
  • 33% hired by Defense Dept., 26% by Postal Service, 41% other agencies
  • 10% work in DC
  • average age is 42
  • number of fed employees per 1,000 people in US has decreased from 14 in 1970’s to a little over 10 in late 1990’s
  • Most fed employees are white-collar workers - secretaries, clerks, lawyers, inspectors, and engineers
  • Nearly 20,000 fed civilian employees work in US territories and another 100,000 in foreign nations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Department of Justice

A

is in inner cabinet - created to serve Attorney General

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

General Services Administration

A

(GSA) operates and maintains federal properties, handling buildings, supplies, and purchasing - independent executive agency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

National Science Foundation

A

(NSF) supports scientific research - independent executive agency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A

(NASA) administers the US space program, financing ventures into space - independent executive agency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Discretionary authority

A

the extent to which bureaucrats can choose courses of action and make policies that are not spelled put in advance by laws

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Spoils system

A

party loyalists are rewarded with key federal posts by the newly elected president (contrast to the merit system) - patronage

20
Q

Pendleton Act

A

set up a limited merit system for appointing federal offices - federal service placed under the Civil Service Commission

21
Q

Civil Service Commission

A

supervised a testing program to evaluate candidates for the bureaucracy - were to be selected and retained according to merit, not party loyalty - later split into the Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board

22
Q

Office of Personnel Management

A

administers civil service laws, rules, regulations, written examinations for the competitive service - in charge of hiring for most agencies - when someone is hired a GS (General Schedule) Rating (GS 1 - GS 18) determines salaries

23
Q

Senior Executive Service

A

at the top of the civil service system - executives with high salaries who may be moved from one agency to another

24
Q

Merit Systems Protection Board

A

protects the integrity of the federal merit system and the rights of federal employees - hears charges of wrongdoing and employee appeals against agency actions and orders disciplinary actions against executives or employees

25
Q

Interstate Commerce Commission

A

(ICC) oldest of the regulatory agencies - first regulated railroads, but now oversees trucking as well

26
Q

Federal Trade Commission

A

(FTC) regulates business practices and controls monopolies

27
Q

National Labor Relations Board

A

(NLRB) regulates labor-management relations

28
Q

Federal Reserve Board

A

(FRB) governs banks and regulates the supply of money

29
Q

Securities and Exchange Commission

A

(SEC) polices the stock market

30
Q

Government corporations

A

a blend of private corporation and government agency - allow more freedom and flexibility than exists in regular government agencies

31
Q

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

A

controversial - operates public radio and television stations

32
Q

Tennessee Valley Authority

A

One of FDR’s New Deal programs - harnesses power of the Tennessee River to protect farmlands and provide cheap electricity

33
Q

US Postal Service

A

the post office is a corporation that competes with private services

34
Q

Amtrak

A

provides railroad passenger service - heavily subsidized by government - created because of lack of private companies doing the same, and has had some huge financial losses

35
Q

Munn v. Ohio

A

upheld the rights of the state of Illinois to regulate the charges and services of a Chicago warehouse (1877)

36
Q

Duplication

A

Congress rarely gives any one job to a single agency - helps keep one agency from becoming all powerful - e.g. drug trafficking handled by Customs Services, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Border Patrol, and Defense Dept.

37
Q

Authorization

A

no agency may spend money unless it has first been authorized by Congress - Congress also appropriates the money (almost always cuts agency budgets from the levels authorized)

38
Q

Appropriation

A

money formally set aside for a specific use

39
Q

Hearings

A

Congressional committees may hold hearings as part of their oversight responsibilities - a weak agency reflects weak oversight

40
Q

Rewriting legislation

A

Congress may rewrite legislation or make it more detailed to restrict the power of an agency

41
Q

Appointments

A

POTUS appoints senior bureaucrats, including agency heads and subheads - this gives him control over the bureaucracy (only 3% of total positions though)

42
Q

Executive orders

A

agencies must obey them - aides may also pass the word informally to agencies as to the Pres’ wishes

43
Q

Economic powers

A

Pres may exercise authority through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) OMB may cut or add to an agency’s budget, although Congress does most of the appropriating

44
Q

Reorganization

A

the Pres may reorganize or combine agencies to reward or punish them - this is limited however, because entrenched bureaucracies, Congress, and interest groups may keep him from doing what he might like

45
Q

Iron Triangle

A

alliance among bureaucrats, interest groups, and congressional subcommittee members - form to promote their common causes (so strong that they’re referred to as subgovernments - place where real decisions are made) - how policy is formed

46
Q

Issue networks (not common on the exam)

A

consist of people in an interest group, on congressional staffs, in universities, and in the mass media who regularly debate an issue - contentious - a President may pick a new agency head from the issue network who agrees with him

47
Q

Hatch Act

A

required employees, once they were hired, to have as little to do with political parties as possible, forbidding them from engaging in many party activities

AP Gov (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions