Chapter 8 The Executive Branch And The Federal Bureaucracy

Front 1

administrative adjudication

Back 1

A quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties in a manner similar to the way courts resolve disputes.

Front 2

administrative discretion

Back 2

The ability of bureaucrats to make choices concerning the best way to implement congressional intentions.

Front 3

bureaucracy

Back 3

A set of complex hierarchical departments, agencies, commissions, and their staff that exist to help a chief executive officer carry out his or her duties. Bureaucracies may have private organizations or governmental units.

Front 4

civil service system

Back 4

The legal system by which many federal bureaucrats are selected.

Front 5

department

Back 5

major administrative unit with responsibility for a broad area of government operations. Departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular governmental function, such as defense, commerce, or agriculture.

Front 6

executive order

Back 6

Rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law. All executive orders must be published in the Federal Register.

Front 7

Federal Employees Political Activities

Back 7

The 1993 liberalization of the Hatch act. Federal employees are now allowed to run for office in nonpartisan elections and to contribute money to campaigns to partisan elections.

Front 8

government corporation

Back 8

Business established by Congress to perform functions that can be provided by private business.

Front 9

Hatch Act

Back 9

The 1939 act to prohibit civil servants from taking the activists roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate.

Front 10

implementation

Back 10

The process by which a law or policy is put into operation by the bureaucracy.

Front 11

independent executive agency

Back 11

Governmental unit that closely resembles a Cabinet department but has a narrower area of responsibility (such as the Central Intelligence Agency) and is not part of any Cabinet department.

Front 12

independent regulatory commission

Back 12

An agency created by congress that is general concerned with a specific aspect of the economy.

Front 13

interagency council

Back 13

Working group created to facilitate coordination of policy making and implementation across a host of governmental agencies.

Front 14

iron triangle

Back 14

The relatively stable relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among an agency, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittee.

Front 15

issue network

Back 15

working group created to facilitate coordination of policy making and implementation across a host of governmental agencies.

Front 16

merit system

Back 16

The system by which federal civil service jobs are classified into grades or levels and appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examinations.

Front 17

patronage

Back 17

Jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends and political allies for their support.

Front 18

Pendleton Act

Back 18

Reform measure that created the Civil Service Commission to administer a partial merit system. The act classified the federal service by grades, to which appointments were made based on the results of a competitive examination. It made it illegal for federal political appointees to be required to contribute to a particular political part.

Front 19

regulation

Back 19

Rules that govern the operation of a particular government program that have the force of law.

Front 20

rule making

Back 20

A quasi-legislative administrative process that has the characteristics of legislative act.

Front 21

spoils system

Back 21

The firing of public-office holders of a defeated political party and their replacement with loyalists of the newly elected party.

Front 22

What should I have learned?

Back 22

The bureaucracy plays a major role in America as a shaper of public policy, earning it the nickname the “fourth branch” of government.

Front 23

What are the roots of the federal bureaucracy?

Back 23

The federal bureaucracy has changed dramatically since George Washington’s time, when the executive branch had only three departments – State, War, and Treasury. As employment opportunities within the federal government increased concurrent reforms in the civil service system assured that more and more jobs were filled according to merit and not by patronage. By the late 1800’s, reform efforts led to further increases in the size of the bureaucracy, as independent regulatory commissions were created. In the wake of the Depression, many new agencies were created to get the national economy back on course as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Front 24

What are the key characteristics of the modern bureaucracy?

Back 24

The modern bureaucracy is composed of more than 2.7 million civilian workers from all walks of life. In general, bureaucratic agencies fall into four categories: departments, government, corporations, independent agencies, and independent regulatory commissions. The political activity of employees in the federal government is regulated by the Federal Employees Political Activities Act.

Front 25

How does the bureaucracy work?

Back 25

The bureaucracy gets much of tis power from the Congress delegating its power. A variety of formal and informal mechanisms have been created to help the bureaucracy work more efficiently. these mechanisms help the bureaucracy and bureaucrats make policy.

Front 26

What controls are in place to make bureaucratic agencies accountable?

Back 26

Agencies enjoy considerable discretion, but they are also subjected to many formal controls. The president, Congress, and the judiciary all exercise various degrees of control over the bureaucracy.