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US Government > Test 3 > Flashcards

Test 3 Flashcards

1
Q

What is bureaucracy?

A

The sum of government organizations that carry out public policy.

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2
Q

What was the Pendelton Act?

A
  1. Government jobs were awarded through merit, instead of through patronage.
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3
Q

What is the source of bureaucratic power?

A

Alliances with congressional committees (separate branch of government).

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4
Q

What is the basic structure of the bureaucracy?

A
  1. 15 executive departments.
  2. Independent agencies.
  3. Independent regulatory commissions
  4. Government corporations (e.g. post office).
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5
Q

Is bureaucratic jurisdiction clearly defined?

A

No. Many areas of overlap. (E.g.: FBI vs NSA vs CIA vs Homeland Security.)

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6
Q

Why has the bureaucracy grown?

A

Because the government itself has grown.

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7
Q

What are Iron Triangles, Issue Networks, and Policy Communities?

A

Groups of people representing Congress, the bureaucracy, and interest groups, that meet together and discuss issues.

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8
Q

How likely is it for someone in the bureaucracy to be fired because of misconduct or poor work?

A

Not very. 0.01% are fired annually. Has lead to waste, fraud, and abuse.

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9
Q

What is “The Plum Book”?

A

A list of key policy positions, used to steer department in the direction the president wants.

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10
Q

What is the relationship of the bureaucracy to Congress?

A

Congress has oversight authority.

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11
Q

What are some common complaints about the bureaucracy?

A

Red tape: large number of rules and procedures that often seem to have no purpose.
Conflict: agencies sometimes work against each other (e.g. Dept of Agriculture vs HHS)
Duplication (see example in jurisdiction)
Imperialism: agencies tend to grow without regard to costs.
Lack of responsiveness. Jobs protected.
Productivity. Workers have no motivation to be productive.

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12
Q

What are the benefits of the bureaucracy?

A

It is hard to be fired.

There are perks, including large number of vacation and sick days, which all roll over.

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13
Q

What was the Judiciary Act of 1789?

A

Organized system of lower or inferior courts.

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14
Q

What are the levels of courts?

A
  1. Courts of original jurisdiction - Federal District Courts.
  2. Courts of appeal - appelate jurisdiction.
  3. Nine Justices (Supreme Court)
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15
Q

What is discretionary power?

A

The court must determine if there is a substantial federal question.

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16
Q

What is a writ of search or certiorari?

A

It means to “make more certain”. When no one appeals a case, the Supreme Court can issue this to a lower court in order to rule on it anyway.

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17
Q

What is the schedule of the court?

A

October through June. First two weeks of the month oral arguments are heard, second two weeks are recesses and debates.

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18
Q

What is judicial review?

A

Power to rule on constitutionality of federal laws. Also claimed power to invalidate state actions.

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19
Q

What is Marbury vs. Madison?

A
  1. Established judicial review. Court has power to declare acts of congress unconstitutional. This power was not directly derived from the Constitution.
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20
Q

What is McCulloch vs. Maryland?

A
  1. Defined “necessary and proper”. Doctrine of implied powers.
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21
Q

What is Gibbons vs. Ogden?

A
  1. Broadened meaning of interstate commerce. Laid foundation for modern expansion of US government.
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22
Q

What characterized the Taney court?

A

Judicial restraint. Supported local democratic action.

23
Q

What is Dual Federalism?

A

The state and federal governments are separate entities and have non-overlapping areas of jurisdiction.

24
Q

What was the theme from 1865 to 1929(37)?

A

Post Civil War. Protection of private property against unreasonable state regulation. Stress on separation of power.

25
Q

What was the courts role from 1929(37) to 1972(3)?

A

Prevention of arbitrary intrusion by government on first amendment freedom.

26
Q

What is the role of interest groups in policy making?

A

They can help influence the agenda by lobbying politicians.

27
Q

What forces affect agenda-setting?

A

Shared political values.
The weight of custom and tradition.
The impact of current events.
Changes in the way political elites think and talk about politics.

28
Q

What is the the role of the media in agenda-setting?

A

Can influence what people are talking about, and thus influence what is put on agenda.

29
Q

What is the definition of “cost”?

A

Any burden that some people must bear if the policy is adopted.

30
Q

What is the definition of “benefit”?

A

Any satisfaction, monetary or non-monetary, that people believe they will enjoy if the policy is adopted.

31
Q

What are the four kinds of policies?

A

Majoritarian, interest group, client, and entrepreneurial.

32
Q

What is a majoritarian policy?

A

Distributed benefits and distributed costs. E.g. Social Security.

33
Q

What is an interest group policy?

A

Concentrated costs and concentrated benefits.

34
Q

What is a client policy?

A

Concentrated benefits and distributed costs. E.g. most subsidies.

35
Q

What is an entrepreneurial policy?

A

Distributed benefits and concentrated costs. E.g. taxes.

36
Q

What is “log rolling”?

A

The trading of favors by legislators.

37
Q

What does “political economy” mean?

A

The relationship between the government and the markets.

38
Q

What is the Classical economic theory?

A

The market is a self-adjusting mechanism that will produce the greatest overall private and public benefit.

39
Q

What is the Keynesian economic theory?

A

Focuses on the demand side of the economic equation. “If the consumer has money, they will spend it.” Government would borrow money and spend it to increase demand.

40
Q

What is Stagflation?

A

High unemployment and high inflation at the same time. Something that is never supposed to happen with Keynesian economics (but happened anyway in the 70s).

41
Q

What is the role of deficit spending in Keynesian economics?

A

Government would spend money to stimulate economy during slow growth. Once economy speeds up, government should stop spending and pay back debt. Problem: second half never happened.

42
Q

What is the definition of supply-side economics?

A

Economic growth is caused by increasing the overall supply of goods and thereby holding prices down, reducing inflation. Low taxes, reduced regulation, free trade.

43
Q

What is Monetarist Economics?

A

Claims that economic stability can only be achieved by holding the rate of monetary growth to the same rate as the economy’s growth.

44
Q

Who is in charge of fiscal policy?

A

Congress: taxing, spending, and borrowing. The President: implementation.

45
Q

Who is in charge of monetary policy?

A

The Federal Reserve. Independent of both President and congress.

46
Q

What is GDP?

A

Gross Domestic Product. Total production of goods and services for a single year.

47
Q

What is the definition of a recession?

A

Two or more consecutive quarters of negative growth (in GDP).

48
Q

What is the definition of unemployment?

A

The percentage of the labor force that is looking for or waiting to return to a work.

49
Q

What is inflation?

A

More money is in circulation, thus each dollar is worth less.

50
Q

What is the largest area of government spending?

A

Entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, foodstamps, etc). 62% of budget. Not discretionary spending.

51
Q

What are the three main taxes?

A

Individual income taxes 42%
Corporate income taxes 12%
Social security 40%

52
Q

What is progressive taxation?

A

People who earn more are taxed at a higher rate. (Someone must not know how percentages work.)

53
Q

What is regressive taxation?

A

Tax applies to years before it was passed.

54
Q

Is the debt burden bad?

A

Yes.

US Government (7 decks)

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