Public Admininistration Midterm Flashcards
public administration
all processes or organizations associated with carrying out laws and other rules issued by legislative and executives
bureaucracy
formal organization arrangement charaterized by:
-division of labor
-job specialization w/ no functional overlap
-exercise of authority through vertical hierarchy
-bureau=desk/office and kratos=political power
what impacts public trust in government?
-strong economic growth and policies
-keeping the country safe from terrorism
-maintaining infrastructure
-the condition of the government
who originally proposed politics-adminstration dichotomy?
woodrow wilson
why is politics-administration dichotomy important?
it establishes a clear distinction between political decision-making and administrative implementation in government organizations, it highlights the separation of powers and responsibilities between elected officials (politicians) and public administrators (civil servants).
list three political values
-accountability
-participation
-democracy
list three administrative values
-discretion
-professionalism
-efficiency
what are the conflicts of political and administrative values?
-political values are more concerned with equality and fairness
-admin. values are concerned with expertise and efficiency
-politicians focus on quick wins for votes, while administrators need to plan for stable, long-lasting programs
-politicians want to please voters, even if it means complicated processes, but administrators want things to run smoothly, even if it means simpler but less popular solutions
what is an independent regulatory board agency?
-regulates industry/commerce
-made up of bipartisan group of commissioners
what are some examples of independent regulatory agencies?
-federal trade commission (antitrust aka anti-monopoly)
-national labor relations board (remedy unfair labor practices)
what is a government corporation agency?
they are identical to the structure of private corporations, but are government owned
what are some examples of government corporation agencies?
-AMTRAK
-USPS
-FDIC
what types of agencies are under the executive office of the president?
-office of management and budget (OMB)
-national security council (NSC)
what is an independent executive agency?
agencies that are part of the executive branch, but independent of presidential control
what are some examples of independent executive agencies?
-NASA
-environmental protection administration (EPA)
what are the major parts of the government organization chart?
-legislative branch (makes laws)
-executive branch (executes laws)
-judicial branch (interprets laws)
what makes up the legislative branch?
-congress
-senate
-library of congress
what makes up the executive branch?
-president
-vice president
-office of management and budget
what makes up the judicial branch?
-supreme court
-tax court
-court of appeals
what is the iron triangle?
any political alliance uniting members of an agency, committee, subcommitte, that share the same values when it comes to policy making (view notes for image)
how is the iron triangle related to public administration?
because it describes a close and often corrupt relationship between: government agencies, legislators, and special interest groups
-the benefit of this relationship could be if lawmakers receive support from interest groups and in return the lawmakers allocate funds for programs for those groups
federalism
a division of power between central/national government and states with each having their own authority over citizens
what makes up a unitary government?
-there are no state governments
-similar to France and Denmark
-typically have clear national direction, but there can be issues with distance
what makes up a confederation government?
-power is within the state governments
-when the government has some limited powers
-similar to the European Union
what makes up a federal government?
- national government and state goverment
-like US and Canada
-it is more deliberate, but can be ineffecient
what made up dual federalism?
-states have more power
-growth of national power through supreme court rulings
-demarcation of power between levels (layer cake)
-before 1930
what made up cooperative federalism?
-federal spending was used to manage the economy
-connection between levels (marble cake)
- WWII cemented federal power
-1930 to 1969
-rise of national power and programs
what made up new federalism under nixon?
-block grants were a solution since the feds were too distant
-believed many of the great society programs were not working
what is the layer cake analogy?
the functions of the national and state governments are separate from each other
what is the marble cake analogy?
the functions of the national and state governments are intertwined and cooperate on certain policies
what is a block grant?
a grant-in-aid which allows funding by a grantor which leaves flexibility of how it is used to the recipient
-power to do so used by states and localities
what is a categorical grant?
a grant-in-aid which allows funding to be mainly determined by the grantor which leaves little flexibility for the recipient
- state and local governments can only spend the money for specific things
devolution
process of transferring power from a higher level of government to a lower one
why is devolution important and wanted by the GOP?
-it provides more flexibility at the local level (public choice)
-better fit between public goods and their characteristics
-allows decision making to be moved closer to citizens (more democratic)
minimum wage
-lowest amount you can legally pay an employee for work
-federal gov. sets a standard minimum wage, but states can set their own as well by passing legislation if they want to increase it
-states minimum wage can not be lower than the federal set one
medicaid
-largest example of fiscal federalism because it uses federal subsidies which allows the ACA to expand it
-largest national program in terms of categorical funding
-operated by the states to assist the poor
-joint federal and state program
temporary assistance to needy families (tanf)
-a significant change in the federalism of welfare financing
-provides assistance to families so that children can be cared for in their homes
-partnership with the states and fed. government to capitalize on state innovation and federal resources
no child left behind act
-altered and expanded the federal gov’s. role in education
- states would accept federal funds to establish academic standards to guide their curriculum and develop a testing system that aligned with those standards
what were the characteristics of ideal bureaucracy? (weber’s model)
-rationality
-division of labor
-hierarchy
-framework of rules
-maintenance of files
-professionalization
what was taylor’s method?
hypothesize, experiment, measure, pick best (most effecient/cheapest)
what were taylor’s time and motion studies?
he studied the movements and time taken by workers to complete tasks and by breaking down tasks into smaller motions, he aimed to eliminate wasteful movements and optimize the workflow
-sort of treated them like robots
-received a lot of backlash for this
what did they find from hawthorne’s studies?
workers’ productivity increased when they were aware they were being studied, regardless of the changes made to their working conditions
what are some characteristics of theory x? (mcgregor)
-people find work distasteful
-people have no creativity in solving problems
-only motivated due to threat of punishment
what are some characteristics of theory y? (mcgregor)
-people find work natural
-people are creative and a source for solutions
-motivation through social rewards
what is the high/low road enterprise? (tom kochan)
high road
-requires us to work together
-requires compensation systems that align with employee interests
-positive environment
-job security
low road
-won’t incorporate compensation systems to align with employees
-has high turnovers
-stressful environment
-lack of job stability
what is one difference between high road and low road employers?
walmart (low road)
-tighest controls on employees
-doesn’t like unions
-lowest pay rights
costco (high road)
-emphasizes customer service
-allows unionization
-pays a fair wage
what is bounded rationality?
no one has perfect rationality because there are limitations, so it is bounded
what is satisficing?
-satisfy+suffice
-we make decisions that will satisfy our needs and that will suffice
what is uncertainty?
this is what led to herb simon critiquing rationality because he did not believe that we can use reason to make the best decisions
what is decision making?
-determining the goal (objective)
-determining the constraints
-determining the criteria (is the goal being achieved)
-determining the alternatives (what other ways can you reach the goal)
what are some decision tools?
-analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
-delphi method (asking experts)
-scenario planning (low, medium, and high forecasts for the future)
organizational theory
theories about how organizations act the way that they do
decision making
how people make better decisions
analytic hierarchy process
used to solve problems by structuring them into a hierarchy of criteria and alternatives and then evaluating their importance
