Bureaucracy Vocab

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accountability

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A concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) worlds. Political accountability is the accountability of the government, civil servants and politicians to the public and to legislative bodies such as congress or parliament.

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appropriations

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An act of Congress that actually funds programs within limits established by authorization bills. Appropriations usually cover one year.

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authorizations

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An act of Congress that establishes, continues, or changes a discretionary government program or an entitlement. It specifies program goals and maximum expenditures for discretionary programs.

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Bureaucracy

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A hierarchical authority structure (in which power flows from the top down and responsibility flows from the bottom up) that uses task specialization (so that experts instead of amateurs perform technical jobs), develops extensive rules, operates on the merit of people (in which the entrance and promotion are awarded on the basis of demonstrated abilities), and behaves with impersonality (so they treat all clients impartially). Bureaucracies govern modern states.

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Government corporation

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A government organization that, like business corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for its services. The U.S. Postal Service is an example.

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GS (General Schedule) Rating

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A schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS 18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience.

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Hatch Act

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A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics.

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Independent executive agency

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The government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, and government corporations. Its administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president's pleasure. NASA is an example.

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Independent regulatory agencies

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A government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules supposedly to protect the public interest. It also judges disputes over these rules.

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Iron triangles

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Entities composed of bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees, which have dominated some areas of domestic policymaking. Iron triangles are characterized by mutual dependency, in which each element provides key services, information, or policy for the others.

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Issue network

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An alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy. Issue networks can be either domestic or international in scope, and many are active solely within the domain of the Internet. Usually, issue networks push for a change in policy within the government bureaucracy. An example includes the wide ranging network of environmental groups and individuals who push for more environmental regulation in government policy. Other issue networks revolve around such controversial issues as abortion, gun ownership rights, and drug laws. In the United States, the various parties within an issue network include “political executives, career bureaucrats, management and policy consultants, academic researchers, journalists, foundation officers, and White House aides.”

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Max Weber

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A German sociologist and political economist, who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the remit of sociology itself. Weber's major works dealt with the rationalization and so-called "disenchantment" which he associated with the rise of capitalism and modernity.

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Merit principle

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The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.

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patronage

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One of the key inducements used by political machines. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.

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Pendleton (Civil Service) Act

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Passed in 1853, an act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.

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"red tape"

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A derisive term for excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.

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spoils system

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A practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party—as opposed to a system of awarding offices on the basis of some measure of merit independent of political activity.