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AP Gov't - Chapter 15 - The Bureaucracy

Terms in this set (36)

bureaucracy
A large, complex organization (government or business) composed of appointed (non-elected) officials.
patronage
(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
spoils system
the system of employing and promoting civil servants who are friends and supporters of the group in power
laissez-faire
An economic theory that government should not regulate or interfere with commerce.
discretionary authority
The right of appointed bureaucrats to choose coarses of action and make policies, rules and regulations that are not spelled out in advance by laws.
competitive service
The government offices to which people are appointed on the basis of merit by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), by a written exam or by applying certain selection criteria.
Schedule C job
A form of patronage under the excepted service for a position of confidential or policy-determining" character below the level of the cabinet and sub cabinet.
noncareer executive assignments
given to high-ranking members of the regular competitive civil service or to persons brought into the civil service at these high levels; these people are deeply involved in the advocacy of presidential programs or participate in policy-making
Pendleton Act (1883)
The law that ended most patronage jobs and created a Civil Service Commission to hire federal employees based on merit, and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons.
buddy system
system of name-request job when bureaucracy knows whom it wishes to hire and wants to circumvent an elaborate search
name request job
A job to be filled by a person whom a government agency has identified by name.
Senior Executive Service
Established by Congress in 1978 as a flexible, mobile corps of senior career executives who work closely with presidential appointees to manage government.
Whistleblower Protection Act (1989)
A law passed in 1989 which created an Office of Special Counsel to investigate complaints from bureaucrats claiming they were punished after reporting to Congress about waste, fraud, or abuse in their agencies.
Administrative Procedure Act (1946)
A law passed in 1946 requiring federal agencies to give notice, solicit comments, and hold public hearings before adopting any new rules.
Freedom of Information Act (1966)
A law that provides all citizens the right to inspect all government records except those containing military, intelligence, or trade secrets or revealing private personnel actions
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