Unit 7 Quiz Flashcards
The administrative concept of neutral competence holds that the bureaucracy should
be staffed by people chosen on the basis of ability and do its work fairly on behalf of all citizens.
What were the “reinventing teams”?
teams that were formed under the National Performance Review to analyze and make recommendations about bureaucratic effectiveness
teams appointed by Congress to decide which branches of the federal bureaucracy could be eliminated
The Senior Executive Service (SES)
is composed of civil employees that can be assigned by the president to any position within the bureaucracy.
Bureaucrats tend to follow
their own agency’s point of view.
Why does the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) have less policy influence than the head of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
because the SSA operates under limiting guidelines than cannot be altered based on circumstances
The federal bureaucracy today is
A mix of the patronage and merit systems.
mostly dominated by patronage politics.
The courts have tended to support administrators as long as their agencies
can apply a reasonable interpretation of a statute.
What happens to the president’s budget if it is approved by a vote of the House and Senate?
It is sent to the president to sign or veto.
Answers:
Studies have found that the U.S. federal bureaucracy
Compares favorably in performance to government bureaucracies elsewhere.
Bureaucrats are ________ and elected officials are _______.
specialists; generalists
Upon reaching Congress, what first happens to the president’s budget proposal?
It goes to the House and Senate budget committees.
As distinct from the patronage system, the merit system for managing the bureaucracy
provides for a neutral administration in the sense that civil servants are not partisan appointees, thus ensuring evenhanded work.
In the late 1800s, rapid economic growth placed new demands on the federal government and led it to
create new federal departments built around economic interests
Compared to the president and Congress, the bureaucracy
Has a more direct impact on the daily lives of Americans.
Whenever Congress has a perceived need for ongoing control of an economic activity, it has tended to create a
Regulatory agency.
