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AP Government Ch. 14 Vocabulary

Terms in this set (22)

Bureaucracy
according to Max Weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behavies with impersonality.
Patronage
one of the key inducements use by political machines. It is a job, promotion, or contract that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
Pendleton Civil Service Act
passed in 1883, it created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.
Civil service
system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.
Merit principle
the idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.
Hatch Act
federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics.
Office of Personal Management
the office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.
GS (General Schedule) rating
a schedule for federal employees, ranging from 1 to 18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience.
Senior Executive Service (SES)
an elite cadre of about 9,000 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.
Independent regulatory agency
a government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest. It also judges disputes over these rules.
Government corporation
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 Serivce is an example.
Independent executive agency
the government not accounted for by cabinate departments, independednt regulatory agencies, and government corporations. Its administratrs are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president's pleaser. NASA is an example.
Policy implementation
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.
Standard operating procedures
better known as SOP's these procedures are used by bureaucrats to bring uniformity to complex organizations. Uniformity improves fairness and makes personnel interchangeable.
Administrative discretion
the authority of administrative actors to select among various response to a given problem. Discretion is greatest when routines, or standard operating procedures, do not fit a case.
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