exam three

Question 1

bureaucracies

Answer 1

institutions of government charged with the responsibilities of enforcing and executing the law

Question 2

how did bureaucracy come to. be

Answer 2

after the failure of the spoils system

-merit based

Question 3

Pendleton Act

Answer 3

employees of the bureaucracy are hired and promoted based on merit

Question 4

characteristics of bureaucracies

Answer 4

• large
• specialized functions related to their expertise
• hierarchical
• rule drive
• relatively free form outside control

Question 5

consequences of bureaucracies

Answer 5

tend to be vulnerable to the charge that they waste money and aren’t responsive to their clients

Question 6

bureaupathology

Answer 6

tendency of bureaucracies to be more responsive to their own institutional needs than the needs of the clientele they’re supposed to be serving

Question 7

solutions to bureaupathology

Answer 7

• privatize and return to economic control

- democratize and return to spoils system

Question 8

federal courts

Answer 8

deal with federal law and/or crimes/businesses that cross state lines

Question 9

supreme court

Answer 9

• can hear both federal and state cases that have gone through the appellate process at the state level
• highest court in US
• court of last resort
• nine judges serve for life
• Chief Justice is the presiding officer of the court

Question 10

trial courts

Answer 10

evidence is presented to determine the facts of the case

Question 11

appeals courts

Answer 11

determine if the correct judicial process and procedures were followed

Question 12

powers of the supreme court

Answer 12

• judicial review= ability to declare an act of another branch of govt unconstitutional
• supremacy clause- last word on the law of the land

Question 13

certiorari

Answer 13

in order to be heard in front of the Supreme Court a case must be granted a writ of certiorari

• four of nine justices must agree to hear the case to receive cert
• about 80-100 cases of 7,000+ are heard

Question 14

congress is

Answer 14

constitutionally strong and structurally weak

-almost all powers of govt are reserved for congress but there’s checks/balances and separation of powers

Question 15

3 rules of congressional life

Answer 15

1. congress makes its own rules
2. what’s good for the member isn’t necessarily good for the institution as a whole.
   - what’s good for the district isn’t necessarily good for the nation as a whole
3. because of the veto points in congress it’s hard to get anything done
   - once something is done it’s hard to undo