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DE US Government > Unit 5: Bureaucracy > Flashcards

Unit 5: Bureaucracy Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the Federal bureaucracy?

A

All departments, agencies, commissions, and staffs that help enforce the law.

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2
Q

Why has the size and scope of the Federal bureaucracy grown?

A

Government efforts to regulate the economy, the New Deal, the Great Society, and the War on Terror.

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3
Q

What was the spoils system?

A

Political parties giving government jobs to supporters.

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4
Q

What is patronage?

A

The practice of handing out favors.

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5
Q

When did the spoils system end?

A

1883, with the Pendleton Act.

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6
Q

What is the merit system?

A

A system that gives jobs based on competitive examinations.

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7
Q

What did the 1939 Hatch Act do?

A

Severely limited the political activities of bureaucrats.

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8
Q

What did the 1993 Federal Employees Political Activities Act do?

A

Loosened the restrictions on political activities of bureaucrats.

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9
Q

How many Cabinet Departments are there currently?

A

15.

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10
Q

Who heads the Cabinet Departments?

A

Secretaries, except for Justice.

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11
Q

What do Secretaries do?

A

Oversee the department, establish policies, help the President make decisions, and enforce the law.

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12
Q

Who supports the Secretaries?

A

Deputy or undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, and large support staffs.

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13
Q

How are departments subdivided?

A

Into bureaus, divisions, sections, and other sub-units.

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14
Q

What are clientele agencies?

A

Departments or sub-units designed to serve specific interest groups.

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15
Q

What are government corporations?

A

Government-run businesses that charge for services.

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16
Q

Why are government corporations created?

A

To fill needs that are not profitable or provide services at low rates.

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17
Q

What are examples of independent executive agencies?

A

CIA, NASA, EPA.

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18
Q

What distinguishes independent executive agencies?

A

Their functions place them outside the Cabinet structure.

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19
Q

What are independent regulatory commissions?

A

Agencies that regulate specific industries or economic sectors.

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20
Q

What is the purpose of independent regulatory agencies?

A

To be run by policy experts and free of political pressures.

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21
Q

How are commissioners appointed to independent regulatory agencies?

A

By the President and confirmed by the Senate for long, staggered terms.

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22
Q

What are examples of independent regulatory agencies?

A

Federal Reserve Board, FCC, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).

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23
Q

What are Iron Triangles?

A

Impenetrable relationships between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and specialized Congressional committees.

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24
Q

What is Administrative Discretion?

A

An agency’s power to implement policies as they see fit.

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25
Q

What is Implementation?

A

The enforcement of laws by bureaucratic agencies.

26
Q

What is Bureaucratic Discretion?

A

Individual-level implementation by agencies.

27
Q

What is Rule-making?

A

The process by which agencies create regulations with the force of law.

28
Q

When do regulations take effect?

A

Regulations take effect after 30 days, allowing for public input.

29
Q

What was the ruling in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council (1984)?

A

States must comply with reasonable regulations, even if not explicitly mentioned in laws.

30
Q

What is Administrative Adjudication?

A

Agencies can hold hearings and resolve disputes for law violators.

31
Q

How are disputes resolved in Administrative Adjudication?

A

Through less formal and punitive hearings compared to criminal courts.

32
Q

Can Administrative Adjudication rulings be appealed?

A

Yes, they can be appealed to Federal courts.

33
Q

What is the relationship between Bureaucracy and the Economy?

A

Bureaucracy plays a role in fiscal and monetary policy.

34
Q

What is Fiscal Policy?

A

The use of taxes, spending, and borrowing to manage the economy.

35
Q

Who passes tax laws and new spending and borrowing measures?

A

Congress passes tax laws and new spending and borrowing measures.

36
Q

Who signs or vetoes tax and spending measures?

A

The President signs or vetoes tax and spending measures.

37
Q

What is Monetary Policy?

A

The use of interest rates to control inflation.

38
Q

How does the Federal Reserve Board regulate the money supply?

A

By setting bank reserve requirements and charging interest on banks that borrow to meet them.

39
Q

What is the purpose of regulating the money supply?

A

To control inflation caused by excessive money circulation.

40
Q

What is the role of the Federal Reserve in setting rates?

A

To balance inflation and economic growth.

41
Q

What happens if the Federal Reserve fails to promote job creation?

A

Recession occurs.

42
Q

What is the objective of setting rates by the Federal Reserve?

A

To curb inflation and allow economic growth.

43
Q

What is the consequence of setting rates too high?

A

Inflation is curbed but economic growth is hindered.

44
Q

What is the consequence of setting rates too low?

A

Economic growth is promoted but inflation may rise.

45
Q

What is bureaucratic accountability?

A

The mechanisms by which the executive, congressional, and judicial branches control and oversee bureaucratic agencies.

46
Q

What is executive control in bureaucratic accountability?

A

The ways in which the President exercises control over bureaucratic agencies, such as issuing executive orders and firing agency heads.

47
Q

What are executive orders?

A

Rules and regulations issued by Presidents to executive agencies, which have the same effect as laws.

48
Q

How can the President exercise control over bureaucratic agencies?

A

By issuing executive orders and firing agency heads.

49
Q

What is congressional control in bureaucratic accountability?

A

The ways in which Congress exercises control over bureaucratic agencies, such as cutting their budgets and holding oversight hearings.

50
Q

What is ‘the power of the purse’?

A

The ability of Congress to cut agencies’ budgets as a means of control.

51
Q

How can Congress exercise control over bureaucratic agencies?

A

By cutting their budgets, abolishing or reorganizing agencies, holding oversight hearings, passing ‘sunset’ legislation, conducting financial audits, and engaging in casework.

52
Q

What are oversight hearings?

A

Investigations conducted by Congress regarding bureaucratic acts.

53
Q

What is ‘sunset’ legislation?

A

Legislation that creates bureaucratic agencies that cease to exist on a specified day unless Congress votes to continue them.

54
Q

What are financial audits conducted by the CBO and GAO?

A

Audits conducted by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the General Accounting Office (GAO) to assess the financial activities of bureaucratic agencies.

55
Q

What is casework done by Congressional staff?

A

Assistance provided by Congressional staff to constituents who have issues with bureaucratic agencies.

56
Q

What is the ‘iron triangle’?

A

The close relationship and communication between Congressional staff, bureaucrats, and interest groups.

57
Q

What is congressional review in bureaucratic accountability?

A

The power of Congress to disapprove newly announced executive-agency regulations within 60 days.

58
Q

What is judicial control in bureaucratic accountability?

A

The ways in which the judiciary exercises control over bureaucratic agencies, such as issuing court orders/injunctions and making decisions based on litigation.

59
Q

How can the judiciary exercise control over bureaucratic agencies?

A

By issuing court orders/injunctions to temporarily halt bureaucratic acts and making decisions based on litigation brought by injured parties.

60
Q

Why does the bureaucracy make policy?

A

Because agencies have specialized expertise, allow other branches to shift blame, are more efficient, and it is time-consuming for other branches.

DE US Government (11 decks)

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