Gov Ch 8 Vocab

Front 1

Federal bureaucracy

Back 1

The thousands of federal government agencies and institutions that implement and administer federal laws and programs

Front 2

Spoils system

Back 2

The firing of public office holders of a defeated political party to replace them with loyalists of the newly elected party

Front 3

Patronage

Back 3

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

Front 4

Merit system

Back 4

A system of employment based on qualifications, test scores, and ability, rather than party loyalty

Front 5

Pendleton act

Back 5

Reform measure that established the principle of federal employment on the basis of open, competitive exams and created the Civil Service Commission

Front 6

Civil service system

Back 6

The merit system by which many federal bureaucrats are selected

Front 7

Independent regulatory commission

Back 7

An entity created by Congress outside of major executive department

Front 8

Departments

Back 8

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

Front 9

Independent executive agencies

Back 9

Governmental units that close to resemble a cabinet department but have narrow or areas of responsibility and perform services rather than regulatory functions

Front 10

Government corporations

Back 10

Business is established by Congress to perform functions that private businesses could provide

Front 11

Hatch Act

Back 11

The 1939 Act that prohibited civil servants from taking 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 12

Implementation

Back 12

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

Front 13

Iron triangles

Back 13

The relatively ironclad relationship and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees

Front 14

Issue networks

Back 14

The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas

Front 15

Interagency councils

Back 15

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

Front 16

Policy coordinating committees

Back 16

Subcabinet-level committees created to facilitate interactions between agencies and departments to handle complex policy problems

Front 17

Administrative discretion

Back 17

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

Front 18

Rule making

Back 18

A quasi legislative process resulting in regulations that have the characteristics of a legislative act

Front 19

Regulations

Back 19

Rules governing the operation of all government programs that have the force of law

Front 20

Administrative adjudication

Back 20

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