Federal Bureaucracy Flashcards
According to Max Weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality
Bureaucracy
A system in which jobs and promotions are awarded for political reasons rather than merit or competence Compare civil service and the merit principle
Patronage
Passed in 1883 an act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.
Pendleton Civil service act
A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.
Civil-service
The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.
Merit principle
A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics while on duty or for employees in sensitive positions at any time.
Hatch act
The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process
Office of personnel management
A schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS 18 by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience
GS(general schedule) rating
An elite cadre of about 9000 federal government managers at the top of the civil service system.
Senior executive service
A government organization that, line business corporations, provides a service that could be delivered by the private sector and typically charges for its services. The US postal service is an example. Compare independent regulatory commission and independent executive agency.
Government corporation
The government agencies not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, and government corporations. Administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the presidents pleasure. NASA is an example.
Independent executive agency
The stage of policy making between the establishment of a policy and the consequences of the policy for the people affected. Implementation involves translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program.
Policy implementation
Better known as SOPs these procedures for everyday decision making enable bureaucrats to bring efficiency and uniformity to the running of complex organizations. Uniformity promotes fairness and makes personnel interchangeable.
Standard operation. Procedures
The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem. Discretion is greatest when routines, or standard operating procedures, do not fit a case.
Administration discretion
A phrase coined by Michael Lipsky, referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion
Street-level bureaucrats
The use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector.
Regulation
The typical system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, and punishes offenders. Compare incentive system.
Command and control policy
An alternative to command-and-control, with market like strategies such as rewards used to manage public policy.
Incentive system
The lifting of government restrictions on business industry professional activities
Deregulation
Regulations originating with the executive branch. Executive orders are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy.
Executive orders
Also known as subgovernments, a mutually dependent, mutually advantageous relationship between bureaucratic agencies interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. Iron triangles dominate some areas of domestic policy making.
Iron triangles
A government agency with responsibility for making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest in some sector of the economy and for judging disputes over these rules.
Independent regulatory Commission
