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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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civil service
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A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.
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administrative discretion
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The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem. It is greatest when routines, or standard operating procedures, do not fit a case.
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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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regulation
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The use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. These pervade the daily lives of people and institutions.
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implementation
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The stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy and the consequences of the policy for the people whom it affects. It involves translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program.
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Senior Executive Service (SES)
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An elite cadre of about 11,000 federal government managers, established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, who are mostly career officials but include some political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation.
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fragmentation
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A situation in which responsibility for a policy area is dispersed among several units within the bureaucracy, making the coordination of policies both time-consuming and difficult.
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command-and-control policy
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According to Charles Schultze, the existing system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, and punishes offenders.
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bureaucracy
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According to Max Weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality. These govern modern states.
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policy implementation
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The stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy and the consequences of the policy for the people whom it affects. It involves translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program.
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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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standard operating procedures
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Better known as SOPs, these procedures are used by bureaucrats to bring uniformity to complex organizations. Uniformity improves fairness and makes personnel interchangeable.
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executive orders
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Regulations originating from the executive branch. These are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy; more often, though, presidents pass along their wishes through their aides.
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independent regulatory agency
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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. The Interstate Commerce Commission is an example.
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incentive system
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According to Charles Shultze, a more effective and efficient policy than command-and-control; in this system, marketlike strategies are used to manage public policy.
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iron triangles
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These are composed of bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. They have dominated some areas of domestic policymaking. They are characterized by mutual dependency, in which each element provides key services, information, or policy for the others.
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street-level bureaucrats
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A phrase coined by Michael Lipsky, referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion.
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deregulation
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The lifting of restrictions on business, industry, and other professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer.
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Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
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The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.
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independent executive agency
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The government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations. Its administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president's pleasure. The Veterans Administration is an example.
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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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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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Pendleton Civil Service Act
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Passed in 1883, 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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